Biden signs bill aimed at improving data collection on cybercrime

President Biden on Thursday signed into law bipartisan legislation aimed at improving federal law enforcement’s collection of data related to cybercrime.  

The legislation, known as the “Better Cybercrime Metrics Act,” passed the Senate by unanimous consent late last year and passed the House at the end of March in a broadly bipartisan 377-48 vote.  

The law directs the Justice Department to take a handful of actions designed to improve data collection on cybercrimes, including requiring the department to establish a new category in the National Incident-Based Reporting System specifically for federal, state and local cybercrime reports.  

It also asks the Government Accountability Office, an independent watchdog, to study the effectiveness of ways in which cybercrime data is reported and disparities in reporting data on cybercrime.  

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who introduced the bill in the Senate, issued a statement Thursday celebrating the bill’s signing.  

“By collecting data on how often, when, and where cyberattacks are happening, our bipartisan bill will better protect people in Hawai‘i from online crimes like those against our transit and water systems in Honolulu, help us support victims of online crimes, and give us more tools to go after the criminals who perpetrate them,” Schatz said.