When President Bush signed a bill on Monday creating the Department of Homeland Security, he started a process that will reshuffle bureaucracies, permit greater Internet surveillance and refocus the government's computer security efforts. . .

When President Bush signed a bill on Monday creating the Department of Homeland Security, he started a process that will reshuffle bureaucracies, permit greater Internet surveillance and refocus the government's computer security efforts.

The authors of the massive law, which totals about 500 pages, envision a far greater role for the government when it comes to making sure operating systems, hardware and the Internet are secure. The law allocates $500 million for research into new technologies. It also classifies certain activities as new computer crimes, stiffens penalties and permits Internet providers to hand more information about subscribers to police.

"The department will gather and focus all our efforts to face the challenge of cyberterrorism, and the even worse danger of nuclear, chemical and biological terrorism," Bush said during a White House ceremony Monday afternoon. "This department will be charged with encouraging research on new technologies that can detect these threats in time to prevent an attack."

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