WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Thune (R-SD) reintroduced the American Cybersecurity Literacy Act, bipartisan legislation to develop a public awareness campaign focused on cybersecurity best practices that will give people across the country the tools to identify cybersecurity risks and protect themselves from cyberattacks and cybercriminals.
“With the rise in ransomware attacks, personal data is ending up in the hands of cybercriminals. We need to prioritize Americans’ privacy and security on the internet,” said Klobuchar. “This bipartisan legislation will help increase awareness about the best ways for Americans to protect themselves online.”
“Cybersecurity attacks continue to affect consumers and businesses across the United States,” said Thune. “This bipartisan legislation would help increase awareness on how to mitigate cyber threats.”
The American Cybersecurity Literacy Act instructs the Department of Commerce to work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a public cybersecurity best practices campaign to reduce cyber risk. The campaign would include:
- Details about information technology infrastructure that may create cybersecurity risks;
- Information on how to prevent and reduce cyber attacks and risks caused by using publicly available Wi-Fi networks and other wireless networks;
- And directions for how to access federal resources to help mitigate cybersecurity risks.
Alongside Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Ron Johnson (R-WI), and James Lankford (R-OK), Klobuchar also introduced a bipartisan bill to strengthen local government cybersecurity defenses by switching to the .gov domain for websites and email addresses.
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