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Advocates and cybersecurity professionals urge rejection or major edits to HB 291 over foreign partnership, surveillance and transparency concerns
Summary
Multiple witnesses, including cybersecurity professionals and community advocates, opposed House Bill 291's provisions enabling foreign partnerships (explicitly referencing Israel) for cyber and surveillance research, raising national-security, transparency and human-rights concerns and urging removal of explicit foreign-collaboration language and added safeguards.
Several witnesses testified in opposition to House Bill 291, which includes language authorizing joint research agreements and partnerships, "particularly with Israel," and allows the commission to solicit private and foreign funds. Speakers raised concerns that the bill could expose Ohio institutions to foreign military-linked technology and create opportunities for untransparent funding and surveillance partnerships.
Jay Qutifan, co-president of American Muslims for Palestine in Columbus, called HB 291 "not a trade bill" but rather "a policy vehicle for foreign influence and militarized tech development," and urged the committee to reject the bill on fiscal and ethical grounds. He cited the bill's language prioritizing cyberwarfare research with Israel and warned the measure would allow solicitation of private and foreign funds "with no safeguards, no ethical review, and no public transparency."
Witnesses with cybersecurity experience amplified those worries. Bridal Dawood, a cybersecurity consultant who said he has worked on federal contracts and whose family lives in the occupied West Bank, argued Section 122.97(a)(2) calling for cyberwarfare collaboration "particularly with Israel" would be a national-security exposure and asserted that similar clauses would not pass federal security clearance. Dawood recommended striking the clause, banning foreign-government and defense-contractor funding for cyberwarfare projects, adding sunset clauses, mandatory audits and legislative review, and prioritizing Ohio-based companies with federal contracting experience.
Other witnesses, including Abrielle Mahmoud and Ben (Bridal) Dawood, described alleged misuse of surveillance tools developed by some Israeli-linked firms and urged the committee to remove explicit references to Israel from the bill. Several witnesses offered to provide supporting reports and sources to the committee record; the committee asked for those materials.
No legislative action or vote occurred during the hearing; the committee closed testimony and adjourned after receiving opponent testimony and offers to submit supporting documentation.
