NIST Releases Draft Cyber Framework, Holds Workshop this Week
As part of its efforts to develop a voluntary framework to improve cybersecurity for the Nation’s critical infrastructure, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on July 2nd released a draft outline of the document to invite public review and gather comments. The draft results from the President’s Executive Order issued earlier this year, and is intended to reflect responses to a February 2013 Request for Information, discussions at two workshops and other forms of stakeholder engagement. According to NIST, the framework is designed to help business leaders evaluate how prepared their organizations are to deal with cyber threats and their impacts. The draft proposes a core structure for the framework and includes a user’s guide and an executive overview that describes the purpose, need and application of the framework in business. NIST is currently welcoming comments and holding a Workshop to gather input this week.
U.S.-EU Trade Talks Begin on Heels of EU Resolution on Data Transfer
The first round of negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) began in Washington this week, presenting the opportunity for increased economic and job growth for both economies. The discussions are the beginning of what will be a long process, with a target deadline of November 2014. On Wednesday, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) will hold a stakeholder event bringing together 50 presenters from a wide range of interests, including environmentalists and business and agriculture groups, as well as non-governmental organizations. SIIA previously submitted comments in support of TTIP and pledged to help advance the agreement. Last week, the European Parliament passed by a strong majority a resolution calling on the European Commission to conduct a “full review” of an agreement that allows a number of U.S. companies — including those allegedly complicit in the National Security Agency’s PRISM program — to transfer data about EU citizens to the jurisdiction of the United States. While the resolution does not formally affect the TTIP discussions, there is broad speculation about the potential for additional challenges in the wake of new privacy concerns.
Bill Introduced to Exempt USPTO from Sequestration
On June 28th, Rep Honda (D-CA), introduced the “Patents and Trademarks Encourage New Technology (PATENT) Jobs Act” (H.R. 2582). The bill, which is co-sponsored by two other fellow Californians — Reps. Lofgren and Eshoo (D-Calif.) — would exempt the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) from about $150 million in budget cuts from sequestration. Because the USPTO is funded entirely by user fees its spending is different from spending by other government agencies. SIIA voiced its concerns about the effect of sequestration on the USPTO. The bill provides that states that “the budgetary resources sequestered under [the President's March sequester] order with respect to the United States Patent and Trademark Office shall be available for obligation for the same purpose and in the same manner as if such order had not been issued.” The bill would also add the USPTO to the list of government programs exempt from sequestration from 2014 to 2021.
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David LeDuc is Senior Director, Public Policy at SIIA. He focuses on e-commerce, privacy, cyber security, cloud computing, open standards, e-government and information policy. Follow the SIIA public policy team on Twitter at @SIIAPubPolicy.