The cybersecurity bill introduced last week in the Senate is too broad, say privacy experts who worry that it could authorize wiretapping and curtail civil liberties.
The Cybersecurity Act of 2012, introduced last week by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut), John D. Rockefeller IV (D-West Virginia), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Dianne Feinstein (D-California), is designed to protect the nation's critical infrastructure, which provides vital services such as water, energy, and transportation. It calls on the Department of Homeland Security to work with network operators to develop security standards, a provision that Republican lawmakers, including Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), object to on the grounds that government regulation will hinder innovation.
But representatives from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Electronic Privacy Information Center have other concerns about the proposed legislation.
A provision governing disclosure of information to law enforcement says a "cybersecurity exchange that is a Federal entity may disclose cybersecurity threat indicators" if "the information appears to relate to a crime which has been, is being, or is about to be committed."
But there is no definition of "crime."
"We do have some serious concerns about this language," said Amie Stepanovich, counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). "The bill would, essentially, allow the government to flag any activity which may indicate a potential crime. The bill does not specify any type of crime, or even if it has to be a felony or a misdemeanor."
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-57384137-245/civil-liberties-groups-proposed-cybersecurity-bill-is-too-broad/#ixzz1nIBpMsxS
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