Lege Trend | Tuck Data Security Bill into Spending Bill

Change general law in a spending bill? No, say it isn’t so. Yes, it is so. 

Congress is adding data security language to is spending authorization bill. Here are the highlights that have privacy advocaes on the right and left up in arms:

  • The government already spies on its citizens too much
  • Going light on businesses that share more information about data breaches with the government and other businesses isn’t helping privacy
  • Protecting from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act all this collected data breach information isn’t open government

 

Post Recorder | Major cyber security legislation tucked into US spending bill 

$45 Million in Cyber Security Research Grants to Universities. Any Universities in Texas?

Who is funding cybersecurity grants? The Hewlett Foundation Cybersecurity Initiative

How much in grant fudning is available? Started at $20 Million. It’s at $45 Million now.

The lucky recipients are? University of California at Berkeley, Stanford & MIT

Any Texas recipients? No. As Hewlett chief alludes, more private interests need to support research about how cyber security should look in the future. Specifically:

  • develop a comprehensive conceptual framework for cybersecurity.
  • think broadly or systematically about a larger framework
  • think about what cybersecurity should look like in the future
  • how to balance new technology and privacy

Inside Philanthropy| Building a Field: Here’s a Case of a Foundation Creating New Knowledge and Expertise

INTERIM: 5 Concerns Your Clients Have about Data Breaches

  • More concerned about data breaches than lawsuits
  • Worried about corporate image damage from data breaches
  • Board Chairs and CEOs are more involved in data security than ever before
  • Odds are high most comapnies have a data response plan
  • Data breaches are increasing in severity and frequency

 

Credit Union National Association | Study: Companies losing confidence in data breach protections

Data Center Economic Development in South Texas

What data center project? Microsoft bought 158 acres in the Texas Research Park real estate controlled by the Texas Research & Technology Foundation. 

How big of a project is this? It will be one of the largest data centers in the U.S.

Where’s the economic development angle? The Texas Research and Technology Foundation uses proceeds from the sale of the land to fund biotech companies

Puget Sound Business Journal | EXCLUSIVE: Microsoft buys nearly 160 acres in San Antonio for data center development

How 1 Western State Classifies Info as Public, Confidential, Secret, or Top Secret.

The Montana Information Technology Managers Council this fall promulgaed policy to require Montana state agencies to classify information in 4 categories:

  • public
  • confidential
  • secret
  • top secret

Open government? The category names depcit a conflict between category names IT professionals regularly utilize & the categories that political types would prefer,

The policy is htting the Montana Legislature with a roar.

Montana Standard | State mulls policy on public, secret, top secret info

INTERIM DATA SECURITY: The National Standard for Data Security Legislation is Not Texas. It is 1 of the 10 States with new Data Security Laws in 2015.

…California.

The Hill reports that Congressinaction  is by default allowing California’s data breach laws to precedence as a national standard.

California data security laws tackle business notification requirements; education data breaches; and health care data breaches.

10 States that strengthened daa security laws in 2015:

  • Connecticut
  • Montana
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • North Dakota
  • Oregon
  • Rhode Island
  • Washington
  • Wyoming
  • California 

The Hill | Has Congress allowed California to set a national standard for data breach notification?