Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2012 8:22:56 GMT -5
Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R. 3523, Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). I appreciate your input, and I am honored to represent you in Congress.
As you know, CISPA was introduced by Representative Mike Rogers in November 2011. This bill improves the National Security Act of 1947 by adding provisions concerning cyber threats and information sharing, and would allow the intelligence community to collect intelligence about efforts to degrade, disrupt, or destroy system networks in the United States. It would also guard against the theft or misappropriation of private or government information, or personally identifiable information. Every day in the United States government agencies, businesses large and small, and personal computers face increasingly sophisticated attacks by sophisticated hackers, including hackers supported by foreign governments.
As a cosponsor of H.R. 3523, I do want to clear up some concerns that have been raised about this bill, and explain my reason for supporting it. While working with staff at Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently, personnel have expressed frustration at being unable to expand much of their work due to current law. I have worked with Oak Ridge and my colleagues on the House Intelligence Committee to insure that we can have increased information sharing in a way that does not jeopardize civil liberties.
There have also been a few concerns about both privacy and intellectual property issues. I should note that this bill does not have any intellectual property provisions like SOPA/PIPA did. CISPA is not concerned with kids downloading illegal music or the like; rather it specifically deals with sophisticated hackers (often foreign state hackers) stealing sensitive data from the government or the private sector. As such, Rep. Rogers has worked extensively with civil liberties and industry groups to ensure that broad privacy provisions are in place so that CISPA does not target or affect average users. The broadest provision in this bill is simply the provision that allows the government to share classified information on hacking with security-cleared personnel in the private sector-something not possible under current law.
CISPA additionally includes many privacy provisions. For example, data sharing is purely voluntary, and any company sharing data is encouraged to anonymize it. The Intelligence Community Inspector General is required to independently audit any data sharing to protect privacy, and on the chance that information is misused, citizens will be able to file lawsuits against the government. Finally the government is heavily restricted in the data that it can use, or search.
There have been several additional amendments to go along with the CISPA bill that I have supported. The Amash/Labrador/Paul/Nadler/Polis Amendment prohibits federal government from using library records, firearms sales records, and tax returns it receives from private entities under the bill; The Pompeo Amendment clarifies that nothing in the bill provides new authorities to any federal agency, including DoD, NSA, DHS, or the intelligence community; and the Goodlatte Amendment will improve the definitions in the bill to clarify and narrow the information that can be shared with the government.
CISPA will help close the loopholes and gaps in our current internet and ensure safety to all users. Thank you again for taking the time to reach out to me regarding CISPA. I cannot do my job effectively as your representative without hearing about issues that are important to you. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if I can be of further assistance in the future.
Sincerely,
Chuck Fleischmann
Member of Congress