[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 153 (Tuesday, October 28, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13374-S13375]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY DAY

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I remind my colleagues of the vital 
importance of developing, and then maintaining, effective cybersecurity 
systems in our workplaces, our government offices, and our homes. We 
have all become acutely aware, as we confront the many possible threats 
to our national security, that much of our critical infrastructure is 
now run by computer networks. Illegal access to these networks can 
compromise the provision of power, telecommunications, and water in an 
instant. In the private sector, whole industries now rely on 
information technology in order to function. In addition, millions of 
Americans depend on their computers to explore the Internet, to access 
information and entertainment, and to preserve their personal records. 
At the same time they must protect their most significant, and often 
intimate, data--such as medical records and credit card information. 
With all this at risk, effective cybersecurity should be paramount in 
every corporation, government agency, and personal home.

[[Page S13375]]

  This past weekend marked National Cybersecurity Day. With the strong 
efforts of the Federal Trade Commission and the Congressional Internet 
Caucus, we have come a long way in raising awareness about 
cybersecurity. The FTC has made a great deal of important information 
available on their website, and I encourage people to visit that 
website, at www.ftc.gov. I am proud to be a Senate cochair of the 
Internet Caucus, along with Senator Burns, Congressman Goodlatte, and 
Congressman Boucher. In addition to an impressive array of speakers on 
all aspects of the Internet, the caucus has begun a series of 
constituent education seminars, targeted at helping all of us provide 
better information, assistance, and support to the people in our home 
states as they grapple with the dizzying possibilities and pitfalls of 
the Internet.
  Our efforts have not been limited to just one day. Last week this 
body passed important anti-spam legislation that will help to keep 
unwanted--often illicit--e-mail off the Internet, and off our computer 
screens. In the Judiciary Committee, we have held hearings recently on 
the dangers of peer-to-peer technology. This technology has the 
potential to revolutionize the way people share all sorts of 
information. But as with any technology, it can be abused. Peer-to-peer 
networks can be used to distribute child pornography and to expose our 
children to a host of obscene materials. It can also be used to delve 
into people's private records or illegally to share copyrighted 
material.
  Pornography, and child pornography in particular, is prevalent on 
peer-to-peer networks. According to recent reports, as much as 42 
percent of peer-to-peer requests are for pornography. What is more, at 
a recent committee hearing we learned that at least one popular peer-
to-peer network does not identify its pornographic material in any way. 
Thus, advertisements on its network appear just as regularly with child 
pornography and other obscene content as with scientific reviews and 
scholarly papers.
  Some of the danger of using peer-to-peer networks can be alleviated 
with good cybersecurity. Reading privacy statements, taking the time to 
understand the software you are using, as well as keeping filters and 
antivirus software turned on and up to date, all help. Knowing what 
your children are doing online is also important. In addition, we have 
given prosecutors powerful tools to go after the people who threaten 
our security.
  Our efforts must continue. The very nature of cyberspace means that 
the threat to security is always changing. Our responses must evolve as 
well, both as individuals and as legislators. I am pleased to be 
continuing to work with Chairman Hatch as we investigate, not just the 
peer-to-peer situation, but the larger set of circumstances that may 
threaten our cybersecurity. As we identify those threats, our primary 
goal will be to raise awareness about those dangers, and to give 
citizens and law enforcement the tools they need to protect our rights, 
to improve our security, and to redress wrongdoing as we continue to 
develop ever-better cybersecurity systems.

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