The FISMA Focus IPD

From: FCW

By Matt Leonard

The House passed the SMART IoT Act on Nov. 28 in a unanimous voice vote, sending the bill  to the Senate with just over two weeks until Congress is set to adjourn.

The legislation, introduced by Rep. Robert Latta (R-Ohio), tasks the Department of Commerce with studying the current internet-of-things industry in the United States. The research would look into what companies develop IoT technology, what federal agencies have jurisdiction in overseeing this industry and what regulations have already been developed.

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From: Railway Technology

By Julian Turner

The Belgian Government has approved a pilot project to collect data on Eurostar travellers, part of the Passenger Name Record regulation that applies to international flights. Should the rail industry bear a similar responsibility to airlines when it comes to security issues?

Passengers on board Eurostar services between Brussels and London will soon be parting with more than just the price of a ticket; they will also be sharing personal data – everything from travel dates and itineraries to contact details, even their seat number – with security and customs agencies.

From: Government Technology

by Kate Patrick

(TNS) — When it comes to setting up a federal privacy standard that overrides state and local privacy laws, New York City just told the Trump administration “thanks, but no thanks.”

In a new filing, New York City — like the state of California — informed the federal government it will draft and pass its own Internet privacy law regardless of any standards set by Washington, throwing cold water on the feds’ efforts to arrive at a national consensus for federal tech policy.

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From: FCW

By Chase Gunter

There appears to be growing bipartisan consensus across multiple congressional committees, the Federal Trade Commission and tech companies that some national data privacy legislation is needed in part to harmonize with European rules, eliminate the confusing patchwork of state-level laws and protect U.S. consumers against Equifax-style breaches. But as ever, details and a timeline on new legislation remain unclear.

All five FTC commissioners testified at a Nov. 27 hearing of the Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee.

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Editor’s Note: See also India: Huawei investigated over alleged BSNL hack.

From: The Telegraph

James Cook

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British spies warned earlier this year that the UK’s phone and internet network is at risk due to its continued reliance on products made by Huawei.

A report written by the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC) found that the “identification of shortcomings in Huawei’s engineering processes have exposed new risks in the UK telecommunication networks and long-term challenges in mitigation and management”.

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