Ⓐnarcho Queer • Posts Tagged ‘CISPA’
Meet The New CISPA, Same As The Old CIPSA Last year, thanks to a public outcry, the effort to pass overreaching cybersecurity legislation stalled in the Senate. Now supporters have reintroduced the House version of that legislation — the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). The “new” version is in fact identical to the original CISPA — and poses the same threat to our digital civil liberties and our freedom to connect online. Here’s what we had to say about CISPA last April: CISPA would allow companies and the government to bypass privacy protections and share all sorts of information about what Americans do online. The legislation makes it far easier for authorities and private companies to spy on your email traffic, comb through your mobile texts, filter your online content and even block access to popular websites. The new CISPA — just like the old CISPA — would protect companies like Facebook and Microsoft from legal liability when they hand over your sensitive online data to the federal government, without any regard for your privacy. The bill would permit the government — including the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security — to use that information for matters that have nothing to do with cybersecurity. The whole process would, of course, take place behind closed doors, with no accountability to the public. Last year’s activism succeeded in improving a similar bill in the Senate, before that bill ultimately failed to move forward. At the time, President Obama vowed to veto any destructive CISPA-like bill that reached his desk. This time around, for a number of reasons — including changes in Obama’s staff and shifting political dynamics — it’s unclear if the president would once again commit to vetoing CISPA. So if this “new” bill goes farther than it did last time around, we simply don’t know what will happen. If CISPA becomes law, it will be a major blow to our online privacy. But more than that, CISPA’s passage would have a chilling effect on our freedom to connect online. We won’t feel as free to state unpopular opinions, or to speak truth to power, if we know that Big Brother is getting a feed of everything we say and do. This is not what the free and open Internet is about. We need to bury this bill for good. Related: Obama Declares His Support For The Cybersecurity Act of 2012
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Meet The New CISPA, Same As The Old CIPSA

Last year, thanks to a public outcry, the effort to pass overreaching cybersecurity legislation stalled in the Senate. Now supporters have reintroduced the House version of that legislation — the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).

The “new” version is in fact identical to the original CISPA — and poses the same threat to our digital civil liberties and our freedom to connect online.

Here’s what we had to say about CISPA last April:

CISPA would allow companies and the government to bypass privacy protections and share all sorts of information about what Americans do online. The legislation makes it far easier for authorities and private companies to spy on your email traffic, comb through your mobile texts, filter your online content and even block access to popular websites.

The new CISPA — just like the old CISPA — would protect companies like Facebook and Microsoft from legal liability when they hand over your sensitive online data to the federal government, without any regard for your privacy. The bill would permit the government — including the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security — to use that information for matters that have nothing to do with cybersecurity. The whole process would, of course, take place behind closed doors, with no accountability to the public.

Last year’s activism succeeded in improving a similar bill in the Senate, before that bill ultimately failed to move forward. At the time, President Obama vowed to veto any destructive CISPA-like bill that reached his desk.

This time around, for a number of reasons — including changes in Obama’s staff and shifting political dynamics — it’s unclear if the president would once again commit to vetoing CISPA. So if this “new” bill goes farther than it did last time around, we simply don’t know what will happen.

If CISPA becomes law, it will be a major blow to our online privacy. But more than that, CISPA’s passage would have a chilling effect on our freedom to connect online. We won’t feel as free to state unpopular opinions, or to speak truth to power, if we know that Big Brother is getting a feed of everything we say and do.

This is not what the free and open Internet is about. We need to bury this bill for good.

Related: Obama Declares His Support For The Cybersecurity Act of 2012

Source: anarcho-queer

It doesn’t take much to imagine the consequences of a successful cyber attack. In a future conflict, an adversary unable to match our military supremacy on the battlefield might seek to exploit our computer vulnerabilities here at home. Taking down vital banking systems could trigger a financial crisis. The lack of clean water or functioning hospitals could spark a public health emergency. And as we’ve seen in past blackouts, the loss of electricity can bring businesses, cities and entire regions to a standstill.

This is the future we have to avoid. That’s why my administration has made cybersecurity a priority, including proposing legislation to strengthen our nation’s digital defenses. It’s why Congress must pass comprehensive cybersecurity legislation.

President Barack Obama speaking about cybersecurity in an op-ed and declaring his support for the Cybersecurity Act of 2012.

The bill would provide legal immunity and a structured system for private companies and U.S. intelligence agencies to share information about national cyber threats.

But a range of cybersecurity experts agree that it in its current form, the bill won’t do much to protect the U.S. from the doomsday scenarios described as potential risks by the president in his op-ed and previously by top defense and intelligence officials.

The EFF highlights a portion of the bill that the group says “specifically authorizes companies to use cybersecurity as an excuse for engaging in nearly unlimited monioring of user data,” as well as the ability for Internet service providers (ISPs) to “block privacy-protective technologies like Tor.”

The Senate is expected to hold a vote on the bill in the coming days. The House has already passed alternate cybersecurity legislation, known as CISPA, which was criticized by advocacy groups for having the potential to infringe on Web users’ privacy and civil liberties. Both the Senate and the House have to pass the same bill and the president must sign it in order for it to become law.

Source: anarcho-queer

Google Admits To Helping Craft CISPA

Google acknowledged in its latest lobbying disclosure form that it is working behind the scenes on a controversial cybersecurity bill, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).

The bill’s author, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), told The Hill last week that Google has been “supportive” of CISPA, which has angered some of the same Internet activists who joined with Google to defeat the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

A Google spokeswoman said that although the company is lobbying on the bill, it has not taken a public position.

“We think this is an important issue and we’re watching the process closely but we haven’t taken a formal position on any specific legislation,” the spokeswoman said.

The disclosure form lists CISPA along with 10 other consumer issues that Google is lobbying on. The company has eight lobbyists working on the category of issues, including former Rep. Susan Molinari (R-N.Y.) and Pablo Chavez, Google’s director of public policy and a former aide to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

The goal of the legislation is to help companies beef up their defenses against hackers who steal business secrets, rob customers’ financial information and wreak havoc on computer systems.

But civil liberty groups are campaigning against the bill, warning it would encourage companies to hand over private information to government spy agencies.

Supporters of CISPA include Facebook, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Symantec, AT&T and Verizon.

Source /  Read More About CISPA and Sign The Petition

Source: occupyallstreets

John McCain Introduces CISPA-like Bill

The Strengthening and Enhancing Cybersecurity by Using Research, Education, Information and Technology Act of 2012 (SECURE IT), introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and widely supported by Republicans, would essentially do the same thing as CISPA.

Source: occupyallstreets

BREAKING: House Approves CISPA! A last-minute push by critics of a bill that would allow Internet companies to open their networks to the Feds didn’t work. The House approved CISPA by a 248-168 vote. The U.S. House of Representatives today approved a controversial Internet surveillance bill, rejecting increasingly vocal arguments from critics that it would do more to endanger Americans’ privacy than aid cybersecurity. By a vote of 248 to 168, a bipartisan majority approved the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, which would permit Internet companies to hand over confidential customer records and communications to the National Security Agency and other portions of the U.S. government. Source / Read More About CISPA and Sign The Petition
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BREAKING: House Approves CISPA!

A last-minute push by critics of a bill that would allow Internet companies to open their networks to the Feds didn’t work. The House approved CISPA by a 248-168 vote.

The U.S. House of Representatives today approved a controversial Internet surveillance bill, rejecting increasingly vocal arguments from critics that it would do more to endanger Americans’ privacy than aid cybersecurity.

By a vote of 248 to 168, a bipartisan majority approved the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, which would permit Internet companies to hand over confidential customer records and communications to the National Security Agency and other portions of the U.S. government.

Source / Read More About CISPA and Sign The Petition

Source: occupyallstreets

Internet Censorship Bill, CISPA, Will Allow Companies To Abuse User Privacy With Immunity

Quite a few people are comparing CIPSA to SOPA but the truth is CIPSA is much different and a lot worse. CISPA is supported by major companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and major ISP’s like Verizon and AT&T.

The Bill overrides existing laws and allows corporations to give unlimited information to the government like stored data, private emails, web history, downloads, etc. without legal accountability.

Rep. Rogers is adamant that the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) is an information “sharing” bill. But despite the bill’s title and Rep. Rogers’ assurances, the bill is also a surveillance bill:

- Its broad definitions allow private companies to monitor network traffic and stored data—including private email—and transfer such private data to the government or others with virtually no oversight or legal accountability. This lack of oversight and accountability stems from the sweeping immunities provided to companies, which bypass long-standing privacy law.

- Under CISPA, private companies may spy on user communications, whether stored or in transit, and freely pass personal information to the government as long as they claim a vague “cybersecurity” exception.

- As long as companies act in “good faith” and the collection is for a “cybersecurity purpose”—a purpose as vague as protecting or securing any network from degradation or disruption—there are no limits on what type of information can be intercepted and shared. 

- The bill also creates expansive legal immunity that makes companies and the government largely unaccountable to users. 

- If a company learns about a security flaw, fails to fix it, and users’ information is misused or stolen, companies cannot beheld liable as long as the company acted “in good faith” according to CISPA. 

- Companies “acting in good faith” are also excused from all liability for engaging in potential counter measures, even if they hurt innocent parties.

- CISPA grants surveillance power to private entities “not withstanding any other provision of law,” which may nullify existing rights to sue under laws such as the Wiretap Act, the Stored Communications Act, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. 

- Combined with the bill’s broad “good faith” immunity, this scheme attacks our long-held legal traditions that create checks and balances through independent judicial oversight.

If CISPA passes, companies lose any legally based incentive to protect user privacy.

Source / Read More About CISPA and Sign The Petition

Source: occupyallstreets

Democrat Prepare CISPA Amendments

From Jennifer Martinez and Tony Romm: “House Democrats critical of the controversial cybersecurity bill CISPA have prepared a series of amendments aimed at bolstering its privacy-related provisions in advance of floor action this week. The full roster of potential changes to CISPA isn’t final.  But the scope of the measure is likely to be debated during a Rules Committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday.”

Source: occupyallstreets

Protest Targets Internet Censorship Bill Known As CISPA Civil liberties groups on Monday launched protests targeting proposed US cyber intelligence law that they fear would let police freely dip into people’s private online information. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Reporters Without Borders were among organizations that signaled the start of a week of Internet protests against the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). “A blanket monitoring system is never an appropriate solution,” Reporters Without Borders said in a release calling for Congress to reject the CISPA legislation introduced in November of last year. “Freedom of expression and the protection of online privacy are increasingly under threat in democratic countries, where a series of bills and draft laws is sacrificing them in the interests of national security or copyright.” The EFF released an online tool for US residents to find Twitter accounts of their representatives in Congress to target messages about the threat CISPA poses to privacy in day-to-day lives. “CIPSA would allow ISPs, social networking sites, and anyone else handling Internet communications to monitor users and pass information to the government without any judicial oversight,” said EFF activism director Rainey Reitman. “The language of this bill is dangerously vague, so that personal online activity — from the mundane to the intimate — could be implicated.” Read More & Learn More About CISPA
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Protest Targets Internet Censorship Bill Known As CISPA

Civil liberties groups on Monday launched protests targeting proposed US cyber intelligence law that they fear would let police freely dip into people’s private online information.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Reporters Without Borders were among organizations that signaled the start of a week of Internet protests against the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).

“A blanket monitoring system is never an appropriate solution,” Reporters Without Borders said in a release calling for Congress to reject the CISPA legislation introduced in November of last year.

“Freedom of expression and the protection of online privacy are increasingly under threat in democratic countries, where a series of bills and draft laws is sacrificing them in the interests of national security or copyright.”

The EFF released an online tool for US residents to find Twitter accounts of their representatives in Congress to target messages about the threat CISPA poses to privacy in day-to-day lives.

“CIPSA would allow ISPs, social networking sites, and anyone else handling Internet communications to monitor users and pass information to the government without any judicial oversight,” said EFF activism director Rainey Reitman.

“The language of this bill is dangerously vague, so that personal online activity — from the mundane to the intimate — could be implicated.”

Read More & Learn More About CISPA

Source: occupyallstreets

28 Companies that support the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011

Read about CISPA Here

AT&T

Verizon 

Facebook

Microsoft

Intel

Exelon

Symantec

Oracle

US Chamber of Commerce

US Telecom - The Broadband Association

National Cable & Telecommunications Association

Boeing

BSA

Business Roundtable

CSC

COMPTEL

CTIA - The Wireless Association

Cyber, Space & Intelligence Association

Edison Electric

EMC

The Financial Services Roundtable

IBM

Independent Telephone & Telecommunications Alliance

Information Technology Industry Council

Internet Security Alliance

Lockheed Martin

NDIA

TechAmerica

Source: occupyallstreets

CISPA Replaces SOPA As Internet’s Enemy No. 1 (Must Read) The Internet has a new enemy. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA), also known as H.R. 3523, is a “cybersecurity” bill in the House of Representatives. While CISPA does not focus primarily on intellectual property (though that’s in there, too), critics say the problems with the bill run just as deep.  As with SOPA and PIPA, the first main concern about CISPA is its “broad language,” which critics fear allows the legislation to be interpreted in ways that could infringe on our civil liberties. The Center for Democracy and Technology sums up the problems with CISPA this way:     •    The bill has a very broad, almost unlimited definition of the information that can be shared with government agencies notwithstanding privacy and other laws;    •    The bill is likely to lead to expansion of the government’s role in the monitoring of private communications as a result of this sharing;    •    It is likely to shift control of government cybersecurity efforts from civilian agencies to the military;    •    Once the information is shared with the government, it wouldn’t have to be used for cybesecurity, but could instead be used for any purpose that is not specifically prohibited. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) adds that CISPA’s definition of “cybersecurity” is so broad that “it leaves the door open to censor any speech that a company believes would ‘degrade the network.’” Moreover, the inclusion of “intellectual property” means that companies and the government would have “new powers to monitor and censor communications for copyright infringement.” Furthermore, critics warn that CISPA gives private companies the ability to collect and share information about their customers or users with immunity — meaning we cannot sue them for doing so, and they cannot be charged with any crimes. According to the EFF, CISPA “effectively creates a ‘cybersecurity’ exemption to all existing laws.” “There are almost no restrictions on what can be collected and how it can be used, provided a company can claim it was motivated by ‘cybersecurity purposes.’” the EFF continues. “That means a company like Google, Facebook, Twitter, or AT&T could intercept your emails and text messages, send copies to one another and to the government, and modify those communications or prevent them from reaching their destination if it fits into their plan to stop cybersecurity threats.” Read the full text of CISPA here, or the full official summary at the bottom of this page. Read More & SIGN THE PETITION TO SAVE THE INTERNET FROM CISPA
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CISPA Replaces SOPA As Internet’s Enemy No. 1 (Must Read)

The Internet has a new enemy. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA), also known as H.R. 3523, is a “cybersecurity” bill in the House of Representatives. While CISPA does not focus primarily on intellectual property (though that’s in there, too), critics say the problems with the bill run just as deep. 

As with SOPA and PIPA, the first main concern about CISPA is its “broad language,” which critics fear allows the legislation to be interpreted in ways that could infringe on our civil liberties. The Center for Democracy and Technology sums up the problems with CISPA this way:

    •    The bill has a very broad, almost unlimited definition of the information that can be shared with government agencies notwithstanding privacy and other laws;
    •    The bill is likely to lead to expansion of the government’s role in the monitoring of private communications as a result of this sharing;
    •    It is likely to shift control of government cybersecurity efforts from civilian agencies to the military;
    •    Once the information is shared with the government, it wouldn’t have to be used for cybesecurity, but could instead be used for any purpose that is not specifically prohibited.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) adds that CISPA’s definition of “cybersecurity” is so broad that “it leaves the door open to censor any speech that a company believes would ‘degrade the network.’”

Moreover, the inclusion of “intellectual property” means that companies and the government would have “new powers to monitor and censor communications for copyright infringement.”

Furthermore, critics warn that CISPA gives private companies the ability to collect and share information about their customers or users with immunity — meaning we cannot sue them for doing so, and they cannot be charged with any crimes.

According to the EFF, CISPA “effectively creates a ‘cybersecurity’ exemption to all existing laws.”

“There are almost no restrictions on what can be collected and how it can be used, provided a company can claim it was motivated by ‘cybersecurity purposes.’” the EFF continues.

“That means a company like Google, Facebook, Twitter, or AT&T could intercept your emails and text messages, send copies to one another and to the government, and modify those communications or prevent them from reaching their destination if it fits into their plan to stop cybersecurity threats.”

Read the full text of CISPA here, or the full official summary at the bottom of this page.

Read More & SIGN THE PETITION TO SAVE THE INTERNET FROM CISPA

Source: occupyallstreets

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