In our 2011 law review article, Tate Watkins and I warned: “[A] cyber-industrial complex is emerging, much like the military-industrial complex of the Cold War. This complex may serve not only to supply cybersecurity solutions to the federal government, but to drum up demand for those solutions as well.”
In The Hill today, Kevin Bogardus writes under the headline “K St. ready for cybersercurity cash grab”:
The cybersecurity push has drummed up work for influence shops downtown. There have been more than a dozen lobbying registrations for clients that mention “cybersecurity” since Election Day, according to lobbying disclosure records.
Robert Efrus, a long-time Washington hand, is one of many lobbyists working the issue.
“It is a growing niche on K Street,” Efrus said. “I think there are a lot of new players that are seeing action with the executive order and legislation being on worked in Congress, not forgetting the funding opportunities. A lot of tech lobbyists have upped their involvement in cyber for sure.” …
“From a lobbying perspective, with everything else going south, this is one of the few positive developments in the whole federal policy arena,” said Efrus[.] …
Lobbyists note that cybersecurity is one of the few areas where budget-conscious lawmakers are looking to spend.
Cybersecurity is officially government’s growth sector.
The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.