Cybersecurity lobbying doubled in 2012

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Lobbying action on cybersecurity nearly doubled last year.

A total of 1,968 lobbying reports mentioned the word "cybersecurity" (or variations of the term) several times in 2012, according to a report compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics for CNNMoney. That's up from just 990 reports in 2011. "Cybersecurity has seen such a substantial increase over the last few years, and not many other [lobbying] issues have reached that point so quickly," says Daniel Auble, a senior researcher for CRP. Part of the reason lobbying spiked last year is that cybersecurity has proven to be a bipartisan issue, capturing the attention of a wide variety of lawmakers, says David Ransom, a partner at law firm McDermott Will & Emery who served as a policy adviser to Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. The widespread concern over cybersecurity is unlike more specialized issues, including gun control and health care. Several cybersecurity-related bills are flying around the halls of Congress, and all players want their voices heard.


Cybersecurity lobbying doubled in 2012