Ranson’s Cybercrime Act Gains Committee Approval, Bipartisan Support

OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill to protect businesses from being attacked by ransomware has unanimously passed the House Judiciary-Criminal committee with a vote of 8-0.

House Bill 1759, authored by Rep. Trish Ranson, D-Stillwater, updates language in the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act to better reflect modern technology and subsequent threats to computer security through updated definitions and penalties.

“This is just one of the ways Oklahoma needs to adapt to the technology age we live in,” Ranson said. “One of the key responsibilities of government is to protect the free market, which includes protection from modern threats that didn’t exist 20 years ago.”

Cybercrime, such as ransomware where criminals deny access to a computer system or data until a ransom is paid, is a significant and ever-evolving threat to personal, business, nonprofit, and government entities and results in thousands to millions of dollars of loss.

“I have been working with several cyber-security experts on this legislation and am pleased to see it passed unanimously through committee.,” said Ranson. “By updating our statutes to include threats like this, our law enforcement can better charge those who exploit others by technological means.”

Ranson hopes Oklahomans in favor of protecting businesses and non-profits from ransomware attacks will reach out to their local legislator in support of HB1759.

Ranson’s office can be reached at (405)557-7411 or [email protected].