Klobuchar bill would beef up cloud computing protections

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is introducing legislation to better protect individuals and companies using the Internet to store and share data and software.

Google Docs and YouTube are examples of cloud computing. Files, and in some cases, software, are stored on the Internet, not on an individual's computer.

Klobuchar said tougher laws are needed to protect cloud computing from hackers. Her bill would create new civil and criminal enforcement tools to investigate and prosecute hackers who interfere with cloud computing services.

"We know crooks are trying to exploit this new technology," Klobuchar said. "I've always said we need to be as sophisticated as the crooks who are trying to break into our systems."

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The legislation requires the U.S. to negotiate with other nations to establish uniform laws for the security of cloud computing.

The bill also calls for each federal agency to use cloud computing. Klobuchar said the technology can save a lot of money.

"Cloud computing can be a powerful engine for efficiency and innovation," she said. "That's something a lot of government agencies could use, especially in a time of tight budgets."

Klobuchar said some experts predict most people will be doing their work with cloud computing by the end of the decade.