Bill would ban feds from P2P networks

Congress is stepping in to ban the use of public peer-to-peer networks for federal workers. The action follows a recent disaster that encompassed details of ethics investigations of members of Congress making their way onto a file sharing network. A congressional aide was fired as a result of the incident.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) would require the Office of Management and Budget to prohibit the use of P2P software like BitTorrent or Limewire on government computers and networks, and to set policies on home use by federal teleworkers.

The legislation includes an exception: In order to use file-sharing networks, an agency head or CIO would have to make a special request to use P2P software. OMB will be required to inventory P2P use in government, and justify every use to Congress.

"We can no longer ignore the threat to sensitive government information that insecure peer-to-peer networks pose," Towns said in a statement. "Voluntary self-regulations have failed, so now is the time for Congress to act."

For more on the proposed P2P ban:
- see this InformationWeek article

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