New Cybersecurity Amendments Unveiled to Address Privacy Concerns. No cyber news is usually good news, but today is an exception. Senators have unveiled significant privacy amendments that will be incorporated into S. 2105, the Cybersecurity Act. Authored by Sens. Lieberman, Feinstein, Rockefeller and Collins, the bill provides comprehensive cybersecurity reform, including a new ‘information sharing’ program that permits companies to share internet info with each other and the government.
We’ve told you about the risks of information sharing in the past (hello, CISPA), and in fact have raised our concerns with this legislation in particular. But thanks in large part to ACLU members and activists who have logged tens of thousands contacts with Congress, we’ve made progress. Sens. . • Ensure that companies who share cybersecurity information with the government give it directly to civilian agencies, and not to military agencies like the National Security Agency.
. • Allow individuals to sue the government if it intentionally or willfully violates the law. Cyber Sec Vote NEXT WEEK: Protect Privacy. The Senate version of CISPA looks like it'll be voted on next week. We need senators to OPPOSE the bill, but SUPPORT pro-privacy amendments to it. But let's highlight some good news: Our efforts to secure Internet freedom and privacy protections have largely worked -- and frankly, far better than we'd expected.
Provisions have been added to: Keep the data in the hands of civilian agencies (as opposed to the National Security Agency); Restrict the government's use of the information to cyber security issues and the prevention of immediate physical harm;Require annual reporting on the data's use; Let Americans sue the government for abuse; andA clandestine attack on Net Neutrality has been removed. Our allies -- like Senators Al Franken and Ron Wyden -- deserve credit for pushing for these improvements. Please add your name at right to help us protect privacy rights as this bill moves forward, and then use these links to share the image at right, so everybody knows how urgent this work is: Privacy advocates satisfied with Lieberman’s cybersecurity rewrite. Revisions that Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) made to his Cybersecurity Act seem to have appeased privacy advocates who lobbied against an earlier version of the bill.
Michelle Richardson, a legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), told The Hill that Lieberman and other co-sponsors made "substantial changes" and undertook a "Herculean effort to build privacy protections" into the bill. Sharon Bradford Franklin, senior policy counsel at The Constitution Project, applauded the changes, saying they "go a long way toward alleviating our concerns. " "The amendments address key civil liberties concerns that have dogged the cybersecurity debate," agreed Leslie Harris, president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology.
The statements mark a major shift for the privacy groups, which had urged the Senate to reject the previous version of Lieberman's bill to prevent an erosion of civil liberties. Supporters of Lieberman's bill, including Sens. Sens. CISPA sponsor: Obama will back down from his veto promise. Mike Rogers (R-Michigan), the U.S. Representative responsible for introducing the Cyber Intelligence Security Protection Act to Congress, said that President Obama will sign the bill if it passes the Senate, despite an earlier White House promise to veto. “[I]f we can get a bill on information-sharing to the president's desk, he'll sign it. I do believe that,” Rogers said Monday after a panel discussion.
CISPA passed the House of Representatives in April, and is expected to go before the Senate for a vote in late June or July. In April, Obama’s advisers released a statement that condemned CISPA for the exact reasons most privacy advocates have: that under the guise of protecting the country from cyber attacks, the bill would allow companies to share a wealth of otherwise private user information with the government, with little recourse for users. Rogers also said that he thought CISPA could pass the Senate, but that Lieberman’s bill couldn’t. Photo via @repmikerogers. CISPA Bill Heads for The Senate: Tell Them No « Politics Dissected. CISPA: Next Steps. The Internet has been in an uproar since the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) was rushed through the US House of Representatives on Thursday. Why the bill was rushed, the tally of its final count, and what happens next have all been hot in the news.
My goal today is to bring you a simple, easily digestible picture of where we are in regards to CISPA, what might happen next, and what should be done. Now, as always, this post is not political in the normal sense. We’re not advocating a party, or a politician, and certainly not an ideology. Instead, our subject is narrow: CISPA, and what it might mean for the technology world. So, if our prose runs a touch sharper, and our analysis a bit more overt and pointed than what you might normally find on TNW, that’s why.
And of course, if you don’t know much about CISPA, but want a bit of a primer, this is for you. The Passage Let’s step back a moment and catch our breath. The Senate and its Woes CISPA has passed the House. Opinion: Big Brother looms over House GOP’s ‘Orwellian’ cybersecurity bill. Imagine a country where every email, every electronic banking transfer, every blogger’s political rant can be handed to the FBI and National Security Agency. There is no need for a warrant from a judge. There is no legal protection for personal privacy. It is simply up to your Internet service provider to decide what is suspicious and send it to the government. Imagine that the Congress approves of this radical challenge to civil liberty by saying the new law is the best way to prevent terrorists from creating chaos in the financial system, plotting violence and hacking into big companies in a conspiracy to destroy the nation with a “Digital Pearl Harbor.”
Well, there is no need for a modern-day George Orwell to imagine the scary story in which Big Brother, an authoritarian government, colludes with multinational corporations to trample civil liberty. This alarming story is close to becoming reality. Also in that camp is Maryland Rep. The Democrats also have bipartisan backing. CISPA goes undercover for Senate Vote, named Cybersecurity Act 2012, action needed!
Just what is the FBI's National Domestic Communications Assistance Center For? So the FBI has started a new club and one that involves the US Marshals, the DEA and apparently even the NSA. This clubs whole purpose is to find ways to monitor and decrypt data that transferred through electronic communications. Sounds fairly innocuous right? After all these law enforcement agencies should have the tools they need to investigate crimes and to prevent threats to national security. The problem comes from the fact that the club (called either the National Domestic Communications Assistance Center or Domestic Communications Assistance Center) might have been around since 2008 without anyone telling anybody.
According to a very detailed CNET article the FBI had internal communication about the DCAC’s budget as early as January 2008. Now this could be an indication that they were preparing a proposal for the new group, but as there have been additional budget requests it is more likely that the agency was established and has been working for three years to get up to speed. 99 senators haven't come out against CISPA, and they're rushing a vote for as soon as they come back from Memorial Day recess. Today is the last day before they leave. They need to know we're not okay with this. : politics. Online Activists Team Up To Create Internet 'Bat Signal' May 27, 2012 The founder of the social news website Reddit and the online advocacy group Fight for the Future are teaming up to create a new warning and call-to-action system that will mobilize the computer community against Internet-unfriendly legislation.
According to Forbes Staff Writer Andy Greenberg, 29-year-old Alexis Ohanian and the organization co-founded by Tiffiny Cheng and Holmes Wilson have joined forces to establish what they are calling the Internet Defense League, which is set to officially launch next month. “Any website owner can sign up on the group´s website to add a bit of code to his or her site — or receive that code by email at the time of a certain campaign — that can be triggered in the case of a political crisis like SOPA, adding an activist call-to-action to all the sites involved, such as a widget or banner asking users to sign petitions, call lawmakers, or boycott companies,” Greenberg explained in a May 25 article. Source: RedOrbit Staff & Wire Reports. The Internet Defense League is Moving Into Full Swing Against CISPA. In a world (insert dramatical music here) where the forces of greed, evil and bad comb-overs are plotting to control the very lines of communication used for free speech there stands one group of rag tag heroes ready to fight them.
Coming this summer … Ok so enough of the cheesy intro. After the headaches and pains of fighting both SOPA and PIPA some of the core activist groups (activists for a free and open internet) have decided to get together and create a method for notifying website owners that are interested in fighting this type of legislation when a new bill comes out. Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian and Fight for the Future (the same group that supplied many sites with the fake takedown code during the SOPA blackout) have gotten together and formed the Internet Defense League. Membership in the league is voluntary and all site owners have to do is sign up with an email address that they can send warning to.
We are waiting to see what the new code will look like for CISPA. Senate Dems modifying cybersecurity bill to pick up GOP votes. Senate Democrats are quietly revamping cybersecurity legislation in an attempt to pick up Republican votes. The move is an acknowledgement that they currently lack the 60 votes needed to bring their preferred bill to the floor. "Undoubtedly we'll make some changes," a Senate Democratic aide told The Hill. But he said getting the legislation through the Senate "is not as hard of a lift as some people have made it out to be. " The aide predicted that the entire Senate Democratic caucus will vote for the bill.
The House passed its own measure, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), last month despite a veto threat from the White House. The goal of CISPA is to help companies beef up their defenses against hackers who steal business secrets, rob customers' financial information and wreak havoc on computer systems. The bill would remove legal barriers that discourage companies from sharing information about cyber threats. They have endorsed an alternative bill from Sens.
The People Trying To Ruin The Internet: John McCain. At the Voice, we have been regularly following internet policy developments. We figured it would be cool -- maybe even a public service? -- to ID people who keep pushing for web-killing proposals such as CISPA, SOPA, and PIPA in this new, occasional feature: "The People Trying To Ruin The Internet. " Enjoy! Since the U.S. House of Representatives hastily passed CISPA in April, some have wondered: What will the Senate do?
It seems like Joseph Lieberman isn't the only senator to try to answer that question. John McCain has also sponsored cybersecurity legislation. However, the problem identified by web freedom advocates is that the legislation does not seem to adequately protect privacy and might encourage the National Security Agency to snoop on private individuals -- they say that the language of the would-be law is so broad that it would allow for companies to give e-mails to the government.
From Salon: The Voice reached out to McCain's office multiple times for comment. Internet Defense League seeks to protect online freedom. A group of online activists, headed by Tiffiniy Cheng of Fight for the Future and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, have formed the Internet Defense League to warn web users of damaging legislation being crafted and organize website owners to protest in the name of Internet freedom.
The initiative was inspired by the January 18 "blackout" that shut down SOPA and PIPA but will make it easier for anyone to participate. The idea is fairly simple: anyone with a website signs up using an email address, and whenever a bit of legislation that threatens the open Web pops up, the IDL will release a piece of code that webmasters can embed on their site to display a warning message. It should be noted that the warning message is not displayed automatically, as the decision to participate on each protest remains with the site owner. The league likens itself to an Internet version of the "bat signal", the idea is to get more people informed and ready to take action.
Analysis of CISPA: Will the government hire Facebook to spy on you? White House: Twitter's Adopton of Do Not Track is "an Important Step" In a post shared on the official White House Blog today, the Obama administration expressed its support for Twitter’s move to join the ranks of sites employing the privacy feature, Do Not Track. The privacy feature, which Twitter now supports in all browsers, allows users to opt-out of third-party tracking cookies, including those used for advertising. In its post, the White House explained the importance of tech companies adopting the Do Not Track feature, emphasising the importance of seeing the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights become a reality: As much as people use and love the internet and other digital technology, there has been a growing concern that rapid advances in technology can lead to an erosion of personal privacy.
As the Internet evolves, maintaining consumer trust is essential for the continued growth of the digital economy. Referring to Twitter’s move as “an important step”, the White House applauded the tech company for its decision: U.K. gov't proposes terrifying new data surveillance program. White House Hires a New Cybersecurity Boss. Major CISPA opponent steps down, jeopardizing White House's veto promise. Stop Big Brother - Stop CISPA. CISPA: more heinous than SOPA, and it just passed. I haven't had much time to talk about the so-called cybersecurity bill called CISPA (Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act) because I've actually been working on a very in-depth cyberdefense project that I can't yet discuss publicly for clients who, you guessed it, I can't discuss publicly.
Even so, I wanted to take a moment to share some disturbing breaking news. According to TechDirt, a site I quite respect, CISPA just passed the House in a rushed vote, with some amendments that TechDirt claims pretty much, well, here, read it for yourself: The government would be able to search information it collects under CISPA for the purposes of investigating American citizens with complete immunity from all privacy protections as long as they can claim someone committed a "cybersecurity crime". Basically it says the 4th Amendment does not apply online, at all Now, I haven't sat down and read the entire bill as revised and just passed by the House, but I will. You should, too. CISPA passes the House, privacy battle moves to Senate - Post Tech. Posted at 09:19 AM ET, 04/27/2012 Apr 27, 2012 01:19 PM EDT TheWashingtonPost The House passed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) Thursday night, despite some controversy over how the bill addresses privacy and a threat of a veto from the White House.
The measure, designed to make it easier for the federal government and private sector to share cyber threat data with each other, was approved by a 248-168 vote. Its supporters and opponents were quick to issue statements following passage of the bill, which now moves to the Senate. The Obama administration had issued a veto threat against CISPA earlier this week. Some business interests have opposed this proposal, saying it would add unnecessarily regulation. Robert Holleyman, president and chief executive of the Business Software Alliance, said in a statement that the act is, “critical because it unties the hands of companies on the front lines of the digital economy.”
Urge The President to Veto the "Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011" (CISPA). Internet Freedom – CISPA | Worman for Congress. Sleazy business: CISPA ‘pushed by spy & tech companies for profit' Cispa finds six more sponsors as critics continue to attack new cyber spy bill | Technology. CISPA cybersecurity bill 'not being rushed through,' aide says | Security & Privacy. CISPA 'Pushed By Spy And Tech Companies For Profit'
CISPA isn’t SOPA 2.0, but you should still be wary of the latest congressional tech bill. Debunking CISPA supporters' claims of harmlessness, inevitability. CISPA Isn't 'Son of SOPA' (But That's Not Saying Much) | Threat Level. Stop CISPA? Cybersecurity bill adds six new co-sponsors in two days. Protests underway against CISPA cybersecurity info-sharing bill. CISPA battle heats up, as both sides fight to control the message. White House questions CISPA cybersecurity bill - Tech Talk. CISPA Foes Meet, Seek Common Ground. Administration pushes against bipartisan House cybersecurity legislation. CISPA Sponsor Mike Rogers Says Protests Are Mere 'Turbulence' On Landing. Worse than SOPA & PIPA… CISPA is coming to censor the Internet! UmeNow: Facebook and CISPA, Cyber Police State?
Speak Out Against CISPA: Join The Twitter Campaign And Contact Your Representative. Facebook Speaks Up On CISPA Cyber Threat Legislation Limitations. CISPA (aka SOPA 2.0) Pushed Forward by For-Profit Spying Lobby. Web freedom faces greatest threat ever, warns Google's Sergey Brin | Technology. CISPA and Facebook: Orwellian alliance or much ado about nothing? New bipartisan House cybersecurity bill haunted by ghost of SOPA’s failure. SOPA/PIPA: Deputizing Internet Intermediaries to Enforce IP Rights. MPAA Tech Policy Chief Quits, Comes Out Attacking SOPA/PIPA - Digital Video Forums. New CISPA Draft Narrows Cybersecurity Language as Protests Loom. Facebook weighs in on cybersecurity legislation. Facebook Responds to CISPA Controversy. Even worse than SOPA: New CISPA cybersecurity bill will censor the Web. Fascism Comes to the Internet: Introducing CISPA. Twitter Trackbacks for Say 'hello' to CISPA, it will remind you of SOPA [cnet.com. Move Over SOPA: Why CISPA Has Privacy Activists Up in Arms | Mobiledia.
Facebook Defends CISPA, Denies Plans to Share User Data. Facebook defends CISPA while pledging not to share more data | Internet & Media. Facebook says it has ‘no intention’ to abuse CISPA. SOPA, CISPA and Other Cyber Laws: The Impact on Business. Big Brother is watching botnets: White House rolls out initiative to fight viruses. CISPA, Terrorising us into Giving up our Privacy Due to a Cyber Terrorism Threat ? SOPA, CISPA and Other Cyber Laws: The Impact on Business. Privacy-eliminating CISPA Awaits Its Fate in the Senate. Tell Senate To Oppose Cyber Security Bill And Indefinite Detention.
Who Needs CISPA? White House Unveils Voluntary Data Sharing Plan To Fight Botnets. NYTimes Reveals Details Of How US Created Stuxnet... And How A Programming Error Led To Its Escape. - fight Internet Piracy Videos. Stuxnet Was A US Operation... Now the push for SOPA, PIPA and CISPA by Congress Makes a Little More Sense... WTF: SOPA, CISPA, FISA. How to Meet the Cyber-Threat against America in the 21st Century. Internet Defense League Hopes to Man a "Bat Signal" for Citizens of the Internet. Anonymous’ Operation Facebook: Is it payback for CISPA? : #CISPA cosponsor, twitter addresses – #cispa #opdefense #stopcispa #opblackout #cybersecurity #spying #privacy « GNU-Darwin Action Blog.
Beyond CISPA: The cybersecurity bills you need to worry about right now. April 30, 2012 | With CISPA, Congress turns internet websites into police. New, Invasive Online Surveillance Bill Rears Its Head. US Senate must kill CISPA, SOPA 2.0. New Law Will Let the Feds Monitor Your Email | Lawyers.com. Senator Joe Lieberman’s Cybersecurity Bill Faces Uphill Battle. Stop Big Brother - Stop CISPA. Why the Government Can’t Remain the Cybersecurity Czar. Mozilla Raises CISPA Privacy Concerns. Letting our lawmakers make laws about cybersecurity is probably a mistake. Mozilla Stand Against CISPA, Saying The Bill Will Infringes on Our Privacy. FBI Lobbies to Make Online Services Wiretap-Friendly by www.
From SOPA to CISPA: The Power and Problems of Internet Activism | Speckled Axe. Twitter Pushes Back Against Subpoena For Protester's Tweets. Euro-virus extorts 'fines' from U.S. users with content-piracy accusations. Thom Hartmann: CISPA...the beginning of the end of online privacy? Cyber Security Bill Raises Concerns Over Privacy. Reddit co-founder slams Facebook over CISPA support — RT Comments. Reddit co-founder won't buy Facebook stock over CISPA support. Mozilla Warns CISPA is “Alarming” Threat to Privacy. CISPA violates online privacy and will flood the government with too much data. Anonymous To Launch Operation Defense in Attempt to Stop CISPA.