CISPA

Also known as the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, CISPA would create a loophole in all existing privacy laws, allowing companies to share Internet users' data with the National Security Agency, part of the Department of Defense, and the biggest spy agency in the world — without any legal oversight.

04/27/2012
This Week in Civil Liberties

This Week in Civil Liberties (4/27/2012)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 5:23pm

What law threatens the Occupy movement’s and other activists’ right to protest?

What bill recently passed by the House did the President threaten to veto because of its privacy problems?

Which court heard arguments this week regarding Arizona’s anti-immigrant bill, S.B. 1070?

In which state does U.S. citizen and ACLU plaintiff Jim Shee carry his passport at all times because the color of his skin makes him look suspicious?

Read More»
04/27/2012
dotRights

Civil Liberties in the Digital Age: Weekly Highlights (4/27/2012)

By Anna Salem, ACLU of Northern California at 4:01pm

In the digital age that we live in today, we are constantly exposing our personal information online. From using cell phones and GPS devices to online shopping and sending e-mail, the things we do and say online leave behind ever-growing trails of personal information. The ACLU believes that Americans shouldn’t have to choose between using new technology and keeping control of your private information. Each week, we feature some of the most interesting news related to technology and civil liberties that we’ve spotted from the previous week.

House Passes Controversial Cybersecurity Measure CISPA [Wired]
"The House on Thursday approved cybersecurity legislation that privacy groups have decried as a threat to civil liberties… Its goal is a more secure internet, but privacy groups fear the measure breaches Americans' privacy along the way."
     See Also Keep Domestic Cybersecurity Efforts in Civilian Hands [ACLU]
     See Also Insanity: CISPA Just Got Way Worse, And Then Passed On Rushed Vote [Techdirt]
     See Also The CISPA Amendments We Really Need [Read Write Web]
     See Also White House Threatens Veto, ACLU Says CISPA Amendments Not Enough [Reason]

Read More»
04/27/2012
Cybersecurity

Keep Domestic Cybersecurity Efforts in Civilian Hands

By Michelle Richardson, Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 8:37am

Last night the House of Representatives passed HR 3523, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA. We’ve written about the many privacy problems with this bill, but here I would like to focus on one of its biggest and most fundamental flaws: it empowers the military, including agencies like the NSA, to collect the internet records of Americans’ everyday internet use.

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04/26/2012
CISPA

House of Representatives Passes Privacy-Busting CISPA

By Ateqah Khaki at 6:33pm

CISPA is a dangerously overbroad bill that would allow companies to share our private and sensitive information with the government without a warrant and without proper oversight.

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04/26/2012
CISPA

Cyber Protection Act Too Broad, Infringes on Our Privacy Rights

By Michelle Richardson, Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 11:12am

This week is “Cybersecurity Week” in the House of Representatives, and members will vote on a handful of bills intended to protect cybersecurity — the ability to prevent and respond to threats from foreign governments, terrorists and criminals over the Internet. Some of the bills are civil-liberties-neutral but, as usual when addressing a security issue, Congress is considering a bill that overreaches — this time by allowing companies to share private and sensitive information with the government without a warrant and without much oversight.

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04/26/2012
Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Myths: Beware the Hype

By Zachary Katznelson, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU National Security Project & Jay Stanley, Senior Policy Analyst, ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project at 10:01am

Much current cybersecurity discourse is inspired by a vivid and compelling image: terrorists remotely taking over dams, nuclear power plants or other critical infrastructure in order to wreak havoc and kill large numbers of Americans. In one revealing incident, congressional staffers pushing for new government powers argued that their legislation was needed to prevent cyber attackers from accessing a system that could “cause the floodgates to come open at the Hoover Dam and kill thousands of people.” There’s only one problem: officials at the Dam told reporters that “Hoover Dam and important facilities like it are not connected to the internet.” The incident shows that threat inflation combined with the power of a vivid image or narrative can override facts and drive policy. Congress should be aware of the facts before charging forward with privacy-busting legislation like the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act.

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04/25/2012
CISPA

In Advance of CISPA Vote, Congress Needs to Hear From You

By Michelle Richardson, Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 12:53pm

Call your representatives today and urge them not to sacrifice the civil liberties of Internet users in any cybersecurity legislation.

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04/25/2012
CISPA

CISPA: It Ain't Cyber-Pretty

By Zachary Katznelson, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU National Security Project at 12:38pm

Tomorrow, the House of Representatives is scheduled to begin debating the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, authored by Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.). In the name of cybersecurity, the legislation threatens to blow a hole through every privacy law on the books and allow companies to share customers' private information with the US military. It's not pretty.

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04/24/2012
CISPA

Opposition to CISPA is Growing!

By Michelle Richardson, Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 1:01pm

It's day two of "cyber week" in the House, and there is good news to report: opposition to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act is growing.

First, conservatives made a big splash over the last several days by vocalizing their strong opposition to how CISPA violates privacy and conservative values. A letter sent to lead sponsors of the bill from the American Conservative Union, Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Liberty Coalition and more, lay out all the many ways CISPA is bad for privacy from its failure to protect sensitive information to its lack of strict government oversight. Also, Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-Texas) wrote an op-ed for The Hill calling CISPA "Big Brother writ large" which he hopes will go the way of the Stop Online Piracy Act, and issued a statement and YouTube video that says CISPA represents the "latest assault on Internet freedom." And last, but certainly not least, libertarian Campaign for Liberty mobilized its members to contact Congress and urge a 'no' vote.

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04/19/2012
CISPA

Proposed Amendments to #CISPA Don't Protect Privacy

By Michelle Richardson, Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 11:48am

We outline why privacy advocates continue to oppose CISPA, despite amendments proposed in committee yesterday.

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