The rapid advancement and connectivity of technology has presented a number of issues regarding legislation. Unfortunately, the legislative process has not kept up with these advancements let alone the possible exploitations that can occur. Firstly, I think there needs to be some semblance of federal regulation in regard to cybersecurity or cyber-crimes. Right now, there isn’t a focused law for the CJS to fall back on in terms of procedure regarding infractions. This allows for too many loopholes. What may be considered a crime in one state may not apply at all in another. There should be a consensus. Secondly, the approach to legislative measures needs to be handled with flexibility and consistency. This will allow legislation the ability to change and shift with new technologies. Thirdly, the legislation put in place needs to be specific with language that is very clear about what is considered a crime and what the punishments will be. I think the most important thing local and state governments can do at the moment is to become more educated about cybersecurity and the risks an apathetic approach can have. So much of our infrastructure nowadays rests on technological interconnectivity and if they were attacked or shut down it could result in catastrophic consequences. There have already been examples of these in recent years. The human cost of vulnerabilities or exploits needs to be considered as well. The livelihoods of citizens, their connections with others, a way they choose to interact with the world, all of these are at risk of being changed, used, ransomed, or deleted in some way. Safety isn’t the only thing that matters. Threats like cyber harassment and stalking can have long terms effects on people or the ones they leave behind. Taking cybersecurity seriously and becoming educated are things I believe can’t be understated in importance. I think federally, besides the examples I stated previously, accountability is an important measure we can’t take for granted either. Unfortunately, I think right now tech companies are able to take advantage of legislative ignorance for profits and there are no consequences for that. The consequences we have in place for massive security breaches in my opinion are not enough. They don’t do enough to deter capitalistic gain over customer security. There are of course companies who take that seriously, due to the fact that they’d lose out on more they could possibly gain, but there are also companies who will take every opportunity to cut corners if it makes them more money. Also none of this even mentions the marketplace of data, where personal info is sold to companies to be used for more targeted advertising, which is another thing I think needs to be addressed. A lot of work will be necessary in the coming years to address cybersecurity in basically every aspect of our lives from commercial aspects to governmental ones and the sooner we start that work, the better.