Issues

Cybersecurity

The security of data, computer systems, and critical infrastructure is essential to the functioning of our society. EPIC supports improved cybersecurity standards and oversight to protect against breaches and to ensure a quick and robust response when they occur.

Background

While the continued innovation of computer systems and networks has brought many benefits, it has also opened the door to significant cybersecurity risks. Both government and private sector systems are subject to attack, but government datasets and critical infrastructure are especially vulnerable. Even election systems have come under attack repeatedly, threatening a core foundation of the democratic system. Breaches of government systems can have especially severe consequences, given the sensitive nature of the records.

Despite an ever-deepening crisis of dangerous cybersecurity threats, there is no single federal minimum standard for data security in the United States. However, there are many regulators involved in overseeing data security in different sectors, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, and others. EPIC advocates on behalf of Internet users for stronger data security protections and improved oversight.

  • Data Security

    Securing personal data is essential to protecting individual privacy and human rights in preventing breaches, guarding against misuse, and protecting the integrity of information.

  • Election Security

    From internet voting to election systems, our election infrastructure continues to be vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

  • Encryption

    Encryption is one of the most important technological mechanisms for protecting the privacy and security of data and data systems, but it has frequently been the subject of criticism by governments seeking to maximize the reach of their investigatory powers.

  • Presidential Directives

    Presidential Directives have often been used to set cybersecurity policy in the United States.

Contact EPIC’s Experts on Cybersecurity

Explore EPIC’s Work on Cybersecurity

Browse amicus briefs, documentation obtained through FOIA litigation, testimony, agency comments, and archival materials related to EPIC’s work on cybersecurity.

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