Cybersecurity-Focused Congressmen Urge White House to Renegotiate Wassenaar Provisions
House Cybersecurity Caucus co-Chairman Jim Langevin, D-R.I., House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and five other cybersecurity-focused congressmen jointly urged National Security Adviser Michael Flynn Friday to renegotiate elements of the multinational Wassenaar Arrangement export control rules that…
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they believe weaken cybersecurity. Members of Congress began pressing in 2015 for then-National Security Adviser Susan Rice to pressure the State Department to renegotiate Wassenaar after U.S. cybersecurity companies began raising concerns that implementation of 2013 changes to the agreement to include the export of intrusion software and IP surveillance systems would have a chilling effect (see 1507220082 and 1507240054). “The U.S. stands only to disadvantage itself strategically and economically against foreign competitors by subjecting its firms to the administrative burden involved in applying for an export license each time they wish to conduct simple information sharing activities with international subsidiaries, partners, or clients,” said Langevin and the others in a letter to Flynn. House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah; House Oversight IT Subcommittee Chairman Will Hurd, R-Texas; House Homeland Security ranking member Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.; House Homeland Security Cybersecurity Subcommittee Chairman John Ratcliffe, R-Texas; and subcommittee ranking member Cedric Richmond, D-La., also signed the letter. The White House should reconvene an interagency task force to develop the U.S.’ stance ahead of 2017 Wassenaar negotiations, the lawmakers said. The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security should “continue to forgo” implementing regulations aimed at abiding by cybersecurity aspects of the Wassenaar changes while the issue is still up for negotiation, the lawmakers said. “These actions will strengthen our nation’s cybersecurity posture and maintain American industry’s edge in the cyber domain.” BSA|The Software Alliance praised the lawmakers Friday for urging renegotiation of Wassenaar. The 2013 changes to Wassenaar were “well intentioned,” but the cybersecurity-related provisions were “imprecisely drafted and would subject core defensive technologies to onerous licensing requirements that would advantage our adversaries by grinding much-needed cybersecurity activity to a halt,” BSA said in a statement. “We urge the Trump Administration to take seriously the concerns raised in today’s letter and commit to renegotiating the flawed provisions to ensure that US cybersecurity is not put at risk.” The White House didn’t comment Monday.