Bill to Discourage P2P in Government Advances

WASHINGTON—A legislative effort to beef up the federal governments computer security by discouraging peer-to-peer networking moved forward here today with the approval of the "Government Network Security Act" by the House of Representatives.

If the bill, sponsored by Reps. Tom Davis, R-Va., and Henry Waxman, D-Calif., is enacted, federal agencies will have to develop technical policies and workforce training to protect computers from the risks of confidential information being disclosed through file-sharing.

Lawmakers are concerned about the ability of file sharers to obtain medical, financial, and other confidential data via government networks. Both the House and the Senate have tried to reduce peer-to-peer networking on Capitol Hill by installing firewalls and conducting employee-training programs.

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