Bilirakis Bill to Protect American Consumers Passes the House

Washington, DC: Earlier today, the House passed the "Reporting Attacks from Nations Selected for Oversight and Monitoring Web Attacks and Ransomware from Enemies Act" or the "RANSOMWARE Act" authored by Congressman Gus Bilirakis. This critical bill willstrengthen the federal government's efforts to respond to recent ransomware and other cyber-attacks from foreign adversaries, such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

"We have seen an increase in cyber-crimes against Americans. These incidents underscore the importance of fortifying and modernizing our critical infrastructure to prevent and respond to cyber-attacks," Bilirakis said. ""This is a matter of national security and we must do everything we can to protect all Americans from those who wish to do us harm."

Specifically, Bilirakis's legislation will amend and update the U.S. SAFE WEB Act of 2006, which first enabled cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies on international consumer protection issues and will require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report on cross-border complaints involving ransomware.