Mendoza Advances Two Cybersecurity Bills

Mendoza’s executive-backed cybersecurity bill is still under review in the provincial Senate committees. Lawmakers are examining its scope, technical details and the mechanisms it proposes to protect public and private computer systems, set protocols for responding to cyberattacks and define the responsibilities of public agencies and private companies.

What the executive bill proposes

The initiative, introduced by Governor Alfredo Cornejo in the provincial legislature, calls for the creation of a Provincial Cybersecurity System. The framework is designed to coordinate policies for prevention, detection, response and recovery after incidents that affect digital infrastructure or critical information. Provincial security ministry sources even describe it as a possible first law of its kind in the country.

Diario Judicial reported that the bill goes beyond a broad institutional framework. It also introduces a data governance regime covering the full life cycle of information, from creation and storage to exchange and secure deletion. For the entities covered by the bill, that would mean specific obligations tied to traceability, security and retention.

The same analysis says the official text would apply to the executive, legislative and judicial branches, as well as third parties that provide technology services, infrastructure, connectivity, software or information custody to the state. The coverage also extends to providers of essential critical services, in a model that reaches beyond the strict public administration.

Operational authority and penalties

According to Diario Judicial, the bill would create an operational enforcement authority separate from the executive committee. That body would be responsible for implementing the province’s technical measures. The text also includes a tiered sanctions regime for agencies that fail to meet mandatory standards, do not report incidents or hinder audits. Penalties range from warnings to restrictions on interconnection and the launch of administrative or contractual proceedings.

Clarín reported that Mendoza officials acknowledge the provincial government faces cyberattacks on a daily basis and that the bill aims to shield the administration from that volume of attacks. In the same vein, the provincial government posted on social media that this would be the country’s first Cybersecurity Law and stressed that the focus is on protecting critical infrastructure and data handled by the public sector.

El Litoral also linked the attack on the Senate website to the legislative debate and described the bill as seeking to strengthen provincial technology infrastructure and establish response mechanisms for incidents.

Fuerza Patria’s proposal

While the government bill is under committee review, provincial lawmakers from Fuerza Patria have introduced a parallel anti-cybercrime proposal centered on the protection of citizens’ personal data and limited to the provincial and municipal public sector.

The text requires each provincial and municipal state body to designate, within 180 days of any eventual approval, a professional responsible for data protection. It also incorporates the principle of privacy by design into new state systems or platforms.

It further states that if a state agency suffers a breach, leak or hack, the government must report the incident within 72 hours and immediately notify the citizens whose data was compromised. Mendoza Today added that the proposal strengthens the state’s obligation to repair damage caused by leaks or hacks and recognizes the citizen’s right to know precisely what information the state holds about them.

The same outlet said 50% of fines for violations of data protection rules would go into a Repair Fund, aimed at financing free legal assistance and digital literacy programs for citizens.

The attack on the Senate website

The legislative debate was shaped by the cyberattack on the provincial Senate website that took place after the executive bill was introduced. Local press reported that sources within the Ministry of Security do not rule out a link between the incident and the bill’s presentation, although that connection is being treated as a conjecture, not an official confirmation.

Identidad Correntina and Diario San Rafael both said the hack came after the anti-cyberattack bill was filed. In the case of the Senate website, reports also said the page was altered with a message against Argentina and an image of Chiqui Tapia, in an episode that intensified the political urgency of the debate in Mendoza’s legislature.