Tillis, Garbarino, Moore propose bill to improve nation’s cybercrimes data collection

U.S Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY)  last week introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Better Cybercrime Metrics Act to establish cybercrime reporting mechanisms at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that would improve data collection on cybercrimes in the United States. 

“I am proud to introduce this commonsense, bipartisan legislation to protect every American from the threat of cybercrimes,” said Sen. Tillis, co-chairman of the congressional Senate Cybersecurity Caucus.

Sen. Tillis on Aug. 5 cosponsored S. 2629 with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Brian Schatz (D-HI), while Rep. Garbarino on Aug. 6 cosponsored H.R. 4977 with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and fellow cosponsor U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) to improve how the federal government tracks, measures, analyzes, and prosecutes cybercrime, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers’ staffs. 

“This Better Cybercrime Metrics Act is a critical first step in helping both government and private industry better understand and address the growing challenge of cybercrime and attacks to our cybersecurity,” said Rep. Moore. “Aggression we see from cybercriminals and adversaries requires a new era of reporting and collaboration between private and public industry.”

If enacted, the bill would require the FBI to integrate cybercrime incidents into its current reporting streams to better understand all types of crime Americans face, according to the summary, which noted that the data would help lawmakers make an informed case for policy changes to help curtail cybercrimes.

“Cybercrimes have steadily increased in recent years, putting private information, energy dependability, and our national security at risk,” said Sen. Tillis. “It’s time for Congress to act on these growing threats by giving law enforcement and policymakers the tools needed to improve data collection and respond to cyber-attacks.”

S. 2629 also would require the FBI to report metrics on cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime categories as it does for other types of property crime. It would encourage local and federal law enforcement agencies to report incidents of cybercrime in their jurisdictions to the FBI, according to the summary.

Additionally, S. 2629 would authorize a study at the National Academies of Science to create a taxonomy for cybercrime incidents in consultation with federal, state, local, and tribal stakeholders, criminologists, and business leaders to inform the FBI’s reporting of cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime, among other provisions, the summary says.

“Cybercrime is rampant, but despite the rising number of attacks affecting Americans, we do not have a clear picture of the full scope of the problem,” Rep. Garbarino said. “We need to utilize every tool at our disposal… to fight back against what is one of the greatest threats of our time.”