Legislation could restrict solutions to cyberattacks

As we grapple with several high-stakes policy debates, both in Iowa and nationally, we cannot ignore the increasingly worrying issue of digital aggression.

Recently, the Cedar Rapids Community School District suffered a cyberattack that shuttered its doors for a week. Meanwhile, the Iowa Workforce Development website was down for two weeks! While we don’t know who perpetrated either attack, we can assume that similar incidents will become more frequent given the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. It’s more important than ever that we bolster our digital defenses.

The same is true for our business community. A recent Business News Daily study found that cyberattacks can cost businesses over $25,000 in lost opportunities and downtime. Our entrepreneurs survived the pandemic and are now navigating excessive inflation, and they shouldn’t have to worry about malicious cyberattacks.

Anyone can fall victim to these issues — it’s human error more times than not. But they aren’t slowing down, and our legislators should respond accordingly.

Instead, several of our federal policymakers are sponsoring anti-innovation legislation that will cap the private sector’s ability to create novel solutions to cyberattacks. Public-private partnerships are essential to warding off digital aggression, but several bills in front of Congress right now could put an end to them. We shouldn’t be restricting the free market from its biggest strength: innovation in the face of calamity.

I urge all of Iowa’s leaders to come out against these bills and support our best innovators.

Graham Woods

Cedar Rapids