A bill that seeks to give the Department of Justice (DOJ) $4 million annually to hire and train additional FBI agents to investigate and prosecute more cybercrimes, was introduced Wednesday in the House of Representatives by Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass.
The Prioritizing Online Threats Enforcement Act was crafted after Clark met with online harassment victims earlier this year and then petitioned the House to make the enforcement of existing cyber threat prevention laws a greater priority. The House gave its formal support to Clark's request last month. If passed, the bill will put more resources behind that effort and, Clark said in a release, give the DOJ the mandate and resources to enforce existing cybercrime laws.
The releases noted of the estimated 2.5 million cases of cyberstalking that occurred in the U.S. between 2010 and 2013, with federal prosecutors pursued only 10 cases.