Information Security News: Bill Would Ban P2P Use By Federal Employees

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/policy/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=221900107

By J. Nicholas Hoover
InformationWeek
November 18, 2009 

Following a leaked document that disclosed ethics investigations of 
members of Congress on a file sharing network, the chairman of the House 
Oversight and Government Affairs Committee has introduced a bill that 
would ban the use of public peer-to-peer networks by federal employees.

The Secure Federal File Sharing Act, introduced by Rep. Edolphus Towns, 
D-N.Y., would require the Office of Management and Budget to prohibit 
the use of P2P software like BitTorrent or Limewire on government 
computers and networks and to set policies on home use by federal 
employees who telework or remotely access government networks.

P2P programs are a popular way to share music, movies, and other digital 
content. Part of the problem is that, when not properly configured, they 
can also expose personal documents stored on PCs and laptops, making the 
documents widely available to anyone on the P2P network. (See "Your Data 
And The P2P Peril.")

Under the bill, in order to use file-sharing networks, an agency head or 
CIO would have to make a special request to use P2P software. The bill 
would ban software that accesses P2P networks in which "access is 
granted freely, without limitation or restriction, or there are little 
or no security measures in place."

[...]


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