Army Times: Senate goes after DoD ‘propaganda’ (bill just introduced today)

[beachmom]

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_propaganda_060908w/

Senate goes after DoD ‘propaganda’

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jun 9, 2008 18:22:12 EDT

Four Senate Democrats moved Monday to block the Pentagon from using taxpayer money for what the lawmakers call propaganda.

The legislative effort was launched in response to a defunct program in which some media analysts received preferential briefings about Iraq in the hope that they would provide favorable press coverage.

The bill introduced Monday is sponsored by Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts, Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, and Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez of New Jersey.

...

Kerry said having the Pentagon provide tailored briefings that help shape coverage of the war is bad policy.

“We’re going to make sure the public money isn’t used for propaganda campaigns that undermine the public trust,” Kerry said. “With confidence in Washington at an all-time low, the American people should not have to wonder whether the purportedly nonpartisan, expert analysis they see on television might have been shaped by a government propaganda campaign.

“The administration should be focusing all of its efforts on making Americans safer and more secure, not misleading marketing campaigns to keep them in the dark or smother competing opinions and dissent during a misguided war.”

Read the rest at the link. Does anyone know about this bill? I can't remember now, since, well, Kerry is involved with so much legislation, who can keep track of it? :)

[MonteLukast]

1. Interesting how Sen. Lautenberg is one of the other sponsors

Not that his opponent, Rob Andrews, had any chance of beating him last week, but you can bet money he wouldn't have crafted this bill. He supported the Iraq War.

I'm glad the people of New Jersey kept their senses and refrained from electing his ageist Bush Dog ass.

[TayTay]

2. Legislation filed recently -- Small Business, 6/10/08

By Ms. SNOWE (for herself and Mr. Kerry):

S. 3102. A bill to establish the Small Business Information Security Task Force, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today, with Senator John Kerry, to introduce the Small Business Information Security Act of 2008. Not only is this a bipartisan bill in the United States Senate, but it is also a bicameral bill. Congressmen Manzullo and Michaud are also introducing companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill would establish within the Small Business Administration, SBA, a Small Business Information Security Task Force to advise the SBA and help small businesses both understand the unique information security challenges they face, and identify resources to help meet those challenges.

As ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, one of my goals is to ensure small businesses are protected from the mounting information security threats they face every day. This legislation will create a clearinghouse of information, resources, and tools--compiled by a task force consisting of public and private sector experts in the field--that will ease the complexity, confusion, and cost often associated with enhancing information security measures within a small business. The task force will continually update information and resources as new technologies and threats arise.

Currently, small business owners turn to the SBA for resources regarding a number of aspects, but information security resources remain largely unavailable within the agency. This legislation will present an opportunity for the SBA to develop and create a repository of data to help small business owners meet their information security needs. This legislation will enable industry experts to come together and immediately provide meaningful strategies to enable small businesses to safeguard their customer's personal information.

Computer networks are increasingly susceptible to hackers, intruders, and other cyber criminals. In fact, in my home state of Maine, the retail supermarket chain, Hannaford Bros., was recently affected by an intrusion into their computer system which led to the exposure of 4.2 million credit and debit card numbers. What many people do not realize is that a breach like Hannaford's impacts not only the millions of customers whose personal data was compromised, but it also has serious downstream impact on our Nation's small businesses. For example, throughout Maine there are many small banks; these banks are responsible for protecting and alerting their depositors upon fraudulent activity. Following the Hannaford breach, many small banks had to replace their customers' credit and debit cards, clearly a costly enterprise that diverts resources from more productive activities, such as small business lending. The bill we are introducing today will help ameliorate this problem.

Unfortunately, these attacks are becoming more frequent and more severe, and the perpetrators are becoming harder to identify and bring to justice. According to a survey by the Small Business Technology Institute, more than half of all small businesses in the U.S. experienced a security breach in the last year. Furthermore, the study concludes that nearly one-fifth of small businesses do not use virus-scanning for e-mail, over 60 percent do not protect their wireless networks with encryption, and two-thirds of small businesses do not have an information security plan.

As these statistics illustrate, small businesses are increasingly at risk of data breaches and other forms of malicious attacks on their information technology infrastructure. Cyber attacks launched by a small group of people can devastate America financially, it is conceivable that a few individuals working together could disable millions of computers at a cost of hundreds of millions to the U.S. economy. Cyber-criminals can hold hostage not just a few individuals, but millions of small businesses. This legislation provides best practices to help small business owners decrease the risk cyber attacks pose to their customers.

The information security threat posed to our Nation's small businesses is serious, and our efforts to prevent and reduce this risk carry a tremendous sense of urgency. We must continue to focus on ways we can protect small businesses, and their customers, from the serious consequences of cyber crimes. In order to take an important first step, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this critical legislation, and I hope we can see this commonsense legislation enacted into law as expeditiously as possible.