The House
passed a bad cybersecurity bill last month, under threat of veto from the White House. That veto threat, administration officials reiterate in response to a We the People petition, is
still in effect.
The administration will keep advocating for cybersecurity legislation that includes privacy protections for people's personally identifiable information and also "closely monitor" developments in the Senate on legislation, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel and White House Chief Technology Officer Todd Park write in the response.
"Even though a bill went on to pass the House of Representatives and includes some important improvements over previous versions, this legislation still doesn't adequately address our fundamental concerns," the response reads.
"But it's not good enough to just stop things: We've got to work together, with legislators on Capitol Hill, technology experts from the private sector, and engaged advocates like you to advance cybersecurity legislation without compromising privacy."
Among the changes the White House wants is more limits on what personal customer data can be shared by companies, preventing things like personal names and email addresses from being shared. The White House has also supported previous efforts in the Senate that required more out of the private sector in setting up systems to protect itself, an idea completely rejected by House Republicans.
Last year's Senate bill was authored by Sens. Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins in the Homeland Security Committee. This year it's in the Intelligence committee, with chair Dianne Feinstein and ranking member Saxby Chambliss taking the lead. As of yet, no information on how that bill is taking shape has emerged, but chances are pretty good it won't include the elements of the House bill the White House has already rejected.