[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 142 (Friday, October 11, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S7411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY AWARENESS MONTH

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, this month, our Nation commemorates the 
10th anniversary of National Cyber Security Awareness Month--a time to 
raise awareness about the need to ensure a safe and secure environment 
for all Americans in cyber space.
  All of us have a stake in improving the Nation's cyber security. That 
is why I join with stakeholders in the government, academia and the 
private sector in calling attention to the need to address new cyber 
threats.
  In today's digital age, we face new challenges in securing our 
computer networks from cyber threats and cyber crime. Even as the 
Internet and other rapidly advancing technologies spur economic growth 
and expand opportunity, there is growing uncertainty and unease about 
how Americans' sensitive personal information is collected, shared and 
stored. National Cyber security Awareness Month provides an important 
reminder about the need to update our Federal laws to keep pace with 
this new reality.
  As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I continue to work to 
update our outdated Federal privacy laws. Earlier this year, I 
reintroduced bipartisan legislation to update the Electronic 
Communications Privacy Act, ECPA. The bill requires that the government 
obtain a search warrant--based upon probable cause--before gaining 
access to the content of our email and other electronic communications, 
when those communications are stored with a service provider. This 
common sense legislation, which I have cosponsored with Republican 
Senator Mike Lee, enjoys broad support from a diverse coalition of 
organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans 
for Tax Reform, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the 
Heritage Foundation.
  I remain disappointed that a Republican Senator has objected to the 
unanimous consent request to pass this bipartisan bill, which 
overwhelmingly passed the Judiciary Committee in April. These privacy 
reforms are too important to delay. I hope that the Senate will 
consider and pass my bipartisan privacy bill without further delay.
  I will also continue to work to better protect Americans from the 
growing threats of data breaches and cyber crime. For several years, I 
have sought to enact comprehensive data privacy legislation that would 
establish a single nationwide standard for data breach notification and 
also clarify and strengthen the criminal penalties for violations of 
the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. These critical privacy proposals will 
help make all of us safer and more secure in cyber space and I will 
continue to push for enactment of these privacy reforms.
  I commend the many citizens from Vermont and across the country who 
are holding events to recognize National Cyber Security Awareness 
Month. I look forward to working with these stakeholders and with 
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to help ensure that our 
right to privacy is protected in cyber space.

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