Letters: Hold it there, regulators
[Re: Parliament introduces cyber law to protect tech from hackers, Nov 25]
The safety of consumers is of utmost importance, and it is right to put the onus on manufacturers and retailers to protect people more from exposure and harm from Internet of Things devices. But with companies currently facing a plethora of cyber risks, the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill simply adds another task to security officers’ ever-growing list of to-dos.
Manufacturers are already struggling to stave off threatening actors and comply with existing legislation – adding another regulation into the mix will only further overwhelm them.
Therefore, I believe that all cyber security regulation and legislation must come with accompanying guidelines and support for the industries expected to comply with them.
Regulators and the UK Government have a view of the cyber threats these organisations face that goes well beyond what any one player in the industry could expect to understand. There is, therefore, a responsibility to explain why it’s coming into effect and how to consider its implications. We could end up seeing security officers having no choice but to comply with these new security rules on an individual basis, rather than thinking about their security posture more holistically. This could end up threatening their customer relationships, profit potential and market position if they aren’t well-prepared for the future.
Martin Tyley