House Wants Agency CIOs to Vouch for Security of Their Websites

Federal websites that collect personally identifiable information would have to be certified as secure by an agency chief information officer under legislation the House passed Monday evening.

Introduced by Rep. Kerry Bentivolio, R-Mich., the bill (H.R. 3635) would require new sites that collect Social Security numbers, dates of birth and credit card numbers to receive CIO approval before going live. Existing sites that launched after Oct. 1, 2013, would need a CIO’s nod within 90 days of the bill’s passage.

Bentivolio introduced the measure last December amid concerns about the security of information shared by users on HealthCare.gov. 

Bentivolio said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., added an amendment to the bill that would require agencies to notify individuals within 72 hours if any personally identifiable information they gave to the federal government is compromised.

"This bill forces bureaucrats to protect your personal information when using federal websites,” Bentivolio said. “For too long, the federal government has been reckless in their implementation of federal websites and their data collection."

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