DOJ Adding Separate Cybersecurity Unit to Computer Crime Division, Assistant Attorney General Says

The Department of Justice is adding a cybersecurity unit to its Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, said Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell Thursday. The dedicated cyber unit will give legal guidance on investigations into electronic surveillance and aid Congress in writing cybersecurity legislation, Caldwell said during a speech at Georgetown University. The new unit is meant to ease citizens’ concerns about privacy following former NSA contractor Edward Snowden’s disclosures beginning last year about NSA surveillance programs. Mistrust in government “can hamper investigations and cybersecurity efforts,” Caldwell said in a prepared version of her speech. The new cyber unit will “ensure that the powerful law enforcement tools are effectively used” and protect “the privacy of everyday Americans,” Caldwell said.