Number:        116-23   
Date:             December 7, 2020

President Signs H.R. 1668, the
“Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2020”

On December 4, 2020, the President signed H.R. 1668, the Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2020, into law. The bill previously passed the Senate on November 17, by unanimous consent, and the House on September 14, by voice vote. The legislation would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop and publish standards and guidelines for Federal Government use and management of IoT devices1. See Legislative Bulletin 116-19 for provisions of interest to SSA.

1Per NIST Internal Report 8259 page iv, IoT devices are not conventional Information Technology devices, such as smartphones and laptops, for which cybersecurity features are already understood. They are devices that interact directly with the physical world and can function on their own, not only as a component of another devise.