Rapid7 Public Policy

Modern day companies depend on reliable cybersecurity and global flow of information to succeed in the digital economy. Trade agreements and trade policy should reflect these priorities while preserving flexibility for future innovations.

The Wassenaar Arrangement - a 40-nation export control agreement - creates broad new export requirements on software. We believe export controls should be implemented in a manner that avoids unnecessary burdens on legitimate cybersecurity products.

Numerous regulations require organizations to report significant cybersecurity incidents and events to government agencies. While transparency is helpful, it is important that reporting requirements do not interfere with the incident response process or expose organizations to additional risk.

Vulnerability disclosure and handling processes can help technology providers and operators quickly address vulnerabilities disclosed to them by external sources, such as researchers. Coordinated disclosure can also help protect security researchers by reducing the risk of conflict.

Resilient critical infrastructure is key to global competitiveness and quality of life. Rapid7 supports ensuring that critical infrastructure has the resources and standards in place to protect against cybersecurity threats and operate effectively.

Combatting the ransomware pandemic will require effort on multiple fronts, including through government intervention. Rapid7 is active in the Ransomware Task Force and supports policy measures to enable adoption of security best practices, improve understanding of the threat, reduce opportunities for criminals to prosper, and improve opportunities for criminal prosecutions.

Security of consumer’s personal information is a matter of privacy, safety, and dignity. Rapid7 supports strong uniform rules on personal data security to provide consumers with consistent protection, and to provide enterprises with certainty.

Cybersecurity is critical to safety, privacy, and public trust as Internet of Things (IoT) devices and smart products are more widely deployed. In addition to leading research on IoT and connected products, Rapid7 engages policymakers in considering how to best secure it from accidental breach and intentional cyberattack.

Abusive patent lawsuits hinder economic growth and innovation, diverting resources away from product development, job creation, and providing social value. Rapid7 supports legal reforms that deter frivolous patent claims while protecting inventors. 

Commerce, government, and individual internet users rely on encryption for secure communications. Legal requirements to weaken encryption undermine cybersecurity, trust, innovation – and ultimately user security.

The principle of net neutrality has played an important role in providing users with equal access to digital content, empowering content creators of all sizes to compete on a more level playing field regardless of resources. Repealing net neutrality risks undercutting these opportunities and weakening full participation in the digital economy for small or independent content creators.