US Senate Approves Bill to Dramatically Improve Cyber-Crime Laws

The Washington Post reports that the U.S. Senate has passed legislation that would allow law enforcement to go after a much larger percentage of modern online crime. Specifically, it will:

• remove the requirement that each affected individual must have suffered at least $5,000 in damages
  
• "make it a felony to install spyware or keystroke-monitoring programs on 10 or more computers regardless of the amount of damage caused"
  
• give identity theft victims the ability to seek restitution
  
• criminalize attempts to extort companies by threatening to publish stolen information
  

These provisions were added to an unrelated bill, the Former Vice President Protection Act, which must next be voted on by the House of Representatives before it becomes law.

CAUCE is very pleased that the Senate has taken this action to protect people living within the United States, and particularly support the provisions adding a private right of action against the criminals who prey upon all of us daily.