GPPi fellow writes article on US cyber-security law for Die Zeit

On 8 August 2012, GPPi Fellow Tim Maurer published an article on Zeit Online, the website of the weekly German newspaper Die Zeit, in which he reports on the defeat of the Cybersecurity Act 2012 in the United States Senate last week. This would have been the first comprehensive cyber-security legislation in the US since 2002.

In his piece, Maurer writes that cyber-security is no longer a sideshow in US politics but is considered a national security priority. He points out that the recent debate over the Cybersecurity Act 2012 included senior leadership and explains why the bill ultimately failed in Congress. He also highlights the role of the US Chamber of Commerce and activist groups in this debate, with the latter having successfully challenged the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) earlier this year. The White House called the defeat of the Cybersecurity Act 2012 a ​“profound disappointment” and the result of ​“politics of obstructionism.” Parts of the bill might now be implemented through a presidential executive order.

Maurer writes that, despite the bill’s defeat in the Senate, the debate in the US has influenced discussions about cyber-security in other countries. Germany’s Minister of the Interior, Hans-Peter Friedrich, is considering introducing a similar law in Germany. Its outcome remains uncertain.

This new article builds on Maurer’s op-ed published in Die Zeit last February when the Cybersecurity Act 2012 was first introduced.