A new bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives seeks to authorize the President to commission private individuals and companies to combat cybercrime, drawing on a historical practice of issuing "letters of marque and reprisal". This approach, reminiscent of the 18th-century practice of employing privateers to attack enemy vessels, aims to modernize the fight against cyber threats.
Representative David Schweikert of Arizona introduced "The Scam Farms Marque and Reprisal Authorization Act of 2025" in August. The bill would grant the U.S. President the authority to issue letters of marque, empowering "privately armed and equipped persons" to seize property, detain, and "punish" cybercriminals who pose a threat to the United States. These threats include a wide array of cybercrimes, such as crypto theft, pig butchering scams, ransomware attacks, identity theft, unauthorized access to computers for gathering sensitive information, online password trafficking, and compromising computers with malicious code.
Schweikert's office stated that Congress retains the authority to allow the issuance of letters of marque and reprisal, arguing that this mechanism could effectively tackle cyber threats posed by foreign countries. Schweikert highlighted the growing losses from cybercrime, with U.S. citizens losing $16.6 billion to scams last year, the highest in 25 years of record-keeping. He believes current measures are not sufficient to address the problem.
The bill stipulates that the President can issue these letters against anyone deemed "a member of a criminal enterprise or any conspirator associated with an enterprise involved in cybercrime who is responsible for an act of aggression against the United States," including foreign governments. There is no limit to the number of cyber privateers the President could commission, with the size of the force determined by what is necessary to seize individuals or property involved in hostile cyber activities outside U.S. borders.
These authorized cyber operators would have the power to recover stolen assets, prevent future attacks, and defend critical infrastructure, all while operating under federal oversight. To prevent abuse, the bill mandates that any letter issued must be backed by a security bond, ensuring accountability and compliance with U.S. directives.
If enacted, the legislation would represent an aggressive effort to combine historical wartime tools with modern cybersecurity enforcement. This revives a centuries-old legal concept, adapting it to the blockchain era and highlighting concerns in Washington regarding the resilience of crypto criminals operating across borders.
The proposal is currently under review by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. If passed by both chambers of Congress and signed into law, it would establish a new framework for U.S. involvement in countering cross-border cybercrime. This move comes amid growing frustration over high-profile crypto hacks and the struggle of law enforcement agencies to recover stolen investor funds.
