The US Senate has proposed a new bill requiring UC and collaboration platforms used by the US federal government to be more secure and interoperable, including Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
As first shared by The Verge, the Secure and Interoperable Government Collaboration Technology Act, brought forward by US Senator for Oregon Ron Wyden, would require government tools to communicate with each other, even if made by competitors. It would likewise establish high standards of cybersecurity, including end-to-end encryption protocols.
Wyden commented on the bill in a statement:
The Secure and Interoperable Government Collaboration Technology Act would ensure the federal government is procuring and using collaboration technology that is based on interoperable, secure standards – meaning an employee from an agency using Teams could call someone from an agency using Zoom, or send a message to another agency that uses Slack."
Wyden stressed that the bill establishes the adoption of end-to-end encryption technology to safeguard government communications from foreign surveillance. However, Wyden says this technology has not been consistently integrated across major video-calling platforms leveraged by government agencies.
The bill also stipulates that collaboration software used by the government must enforce compliance with federal record-keeping regulations, addressing the emerging importance of maintaining official records within constantly changing collaboration platforms.
"Collaboration technology providers who sell to the government should not be locking users into their walled product gardens using proprietary data standards," Wyden added. "Government agencies, including the National Security Agency, Marines, and Navy, have endorsed the use of standards-based technology and security practices like end-to-end encryption – it’s time for these principles to be reflected in the collaboration technology the federal government procures and uses."
The bill's supporters include groups lobbying for stricter regulation of Big Tech, including Accountable Tech, Demand Progress, Fight for the Future, and encrypted email and cloud storage provider Proton.
How The Bill Would Be Practically Enforced
The bill mandates the General Services Administration (GSA) to curate a comprehensive list of UC and collaboration technology tools and capabilities employed by the US federal government, encompassing videoconferencing, text-based messaging, file sharing, scheduling, and live document editing.
Subsequently, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) would establish interoperability standards for these tools and capabilities, incorporating end-to-end encryption where feasible to safeguard government communications against foreign surveillance. Concurrently, government compliance with federal record-keeping regulations would be closely monitored.
Following the NIST's outlining of interoperability standards, UC&C businesses would have a four-year grace period to align their tools with compliance requirements for federal government procurement.
Every two years, a joint working group comprising the GSA and the Office of Management and Budget evaluates federal government technology usage, suggesting revisions to the standards as necessary. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security conducts cybersecurity assessments of commonly utilised collaboration tools within the federal government.
How Significant An Impact Would This Have on the UC&C Space?
A significant one. While the bill only pertains to the UC and collaboration tools leveraged by the US federal government, that encompasses at least Teams, Zoom, Slack and Google Docs — the platforms and features explicitly cited by Wyden in his statement and which count among the most popular UC&C tools worldwide.
There is also the fundamental fact that if the companies behind the tools must implement the required changes for the federal government, they must do so with everyone else. Meanwhile, it could encourage the industry to greater interoperability and encryption standards across the board.
