Mark Warner on Cybersecurity

Editorial comment suspended. From U.S. Senator Mark Warner, D-VA:

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Friends, 

I wanted to make sure you heard about important national security legislation I introduced last week.

Here’s the deal: our Intelligence Community has raised important concerns about foreign tech threats that have made a foothold in U.S. markets. What exactly are these threats? These are apps already on our phones, equipment used to power the internet, and software that helps operate critical infrastructure like transportation, energy, and health care systems.

Right now, you may be hearing concerns about TikTok and its close ties to the Communist Party of China – but we’ve been fighting threats like these from various adversarial nations for decades, without a clear system to address them moving forward. We’ve taken a Whac-A-Mole approach to our national security online, and we absolutely must have a stronger strategy.

That’s why I wrote and introduced the RESTRICT Act, a completely bipartisan solution that will allow the government to address threats in a proactive, risk-based manner. Senator John Thune of South Dakota, a Republican, is co-leading the effort with me, and already we have 6 additional Democrats and 6 additional Republicans on our team – and more folks are getting on board every day.

Instead of punitively targeting one company like TikTok, the RESTRICT Act gives us a framework to address the entire next generation of threats, providing a smarter way to prepare for the ever-changing technological landscape. It’ll empower the Department of Commerce to identify and mitigate foreign threats to a range of critical communications tech.

Particularly when we’re dealing with technologies that are forums for Americans’ speech and expression, it’s vital that any action be risk-based, rule-bound, and strike a careful balance in mitigating national security threats and avoiding impacts on free speech. I’m proud to have prioritized that in my bill, and that’s why it’s already gaining tremendous momentum.

To protect our national security, our economy, and our critical infrastructure, it’s time to stop playing Whac-A-Mole and start adopting a clear, risk-based approach to foreign tech threats. I’m proud to have put forward a solution to do that.

If you want more information, check out some videos, graphics, or articles produced on this bill. If you want to share your thoughts about Big Tech or any issue that's important to you, you can send me an email any time using the form on my Senate website.

Sincerely,

[that signature graphic Google doesn't like: Mark Warner]

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