House approves bill to strengthen US cybersecurity diplomacy

The House of Representatives approved a bill on Tuesday that would clarify and codify State Department roles in advancing U.S. cybersecurity interests and require regular reports to Congress.

The Cyber Diplomacy Act, H.R. 3776, would require State Department briefings on cyberspace policy executive agreements with foreign countries, existing international cyberspace policy, and efforts to advance electronic freedom of expression in other countries.

U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), the bill’s author, said the measure was needed because the United States is increasingly under attack by online foreign actors.

“But it’s not just the security of our networks that the United States needs to protect,” Royce said on the House floor. “It is the very fabric of the internet itself that is increasingly under assault by governments that want to erect digital borders and impose more control and censorship online.
The State Department has a critical role to play in promoting an open and secure cyberspace by developing international norms of responsible state behavior and deterring malicious actors from carrying out destructive cyber operations.”

President Donald Trump signed an executive order last year that tasks the secretary of state with developing an interagency approach to cybersecurity diplomacy last year. However, Royce noted that the office tasked with leading the charge has merged with the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.

“The concern is that this limits the department’s ability to confront the full range of issues in cyberspace — such as security, internet access, online human rights and cybercrime — beyond the clear economic challenges,” Royce said. “I believe this sends the wrong signal to Moscow, Beijing and other governments around the world. The United States should make it clear that we place a high priority on the whole range of cyber issues — including cybersecurity, internet access, online rights, deterrence, and cybercrime.”