Cybersecurity Legislation

Abstract

This entry discusses the role of legislation governing cybersecurity and how this legislation seeks to control criminal activity on the dark web. As explained throughout this encyclopedia, the dark web consists of internet services that are accessible anonymously using “the onion router” (TOR). There has been a concentrated effort in recent years for federal legislation in the United States to be enacted to control the widespread criminal behavior that occurs on the dark web, which includes the sale of drugs, illegal weapons, and child pornography. Legislation, as the term is used in this work, refers to law enacted by a legislative body such as the US Congress. The article considers both existing relevant statutory law and proposed legislation on the local, state/provincial, and federal/national level. The focus will be on US federal legislation; however, the article will also consider US state and local legislation, the legislation from other nations, and international legislation.