CISPA, “National Security,” and the NSA’s Ability to Read Your Emails

[VLS]

While much of America was gearing up to watch the NFL draft picks Thursday night, the House of Representatives passed a controversial cybersecurity bill to increase information sharing between private companies and the federal government.

Michigan Republican Rep. Mike Rogers and Maryland Democratic Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger sponsored and, along with supporters, crafted CISPA to offer private companies new ways to protect themselves from potential economic cyberspies hailing from countries such as Russia and China.

Under CISPA, companies will be permitted to share information with entities such as the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency and won't be required to protect Internet users' personal data.

link:://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/cispa-controversy-surrounding-might-affect-173913974.html




As people increasingly use services like Skype and other internet telephony services, Twitter and Facebook to communicate, advocates fear the bill is a land grab that would give US authorities unprecedented access to private information while removing a citizen's legal protection.

link:://:.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/18/cispa-unprecedented-access-internet-privacy




"Cispa permits both the federal government and private companies to view your private online communications without judicial oversight provided that they do so of course in the name of cyber-security,"

link:://:.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/23/ron-paul-cispa-cyberterrorism-bill




Even though CISPA is styled as a ‘cybersecurity’ bill, it explicitly allows the Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies like the National Security Agency (NSA) to use your information for ‘national security’ purposesâ€"expanding the bill far beyond its purported goal.

link:s://:.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/04/cispa-national-security-and-nsa-ability-read-your-emails




Under CISPA, can a private company read my emails?
Yes. 

Under CISPA, any company can “use cybersecurity systems to identify and obtain cyber threat information to protect the rights and property” of the company.

Under CISPA, what can I do if a company improperly hands over private information to the government?
Almost nothing.

The most current version has switched back to the standard giving companies immunity as long as they act in "good faith" - still a very weak standard that would leave users with no recourse in virtually all cases.

What government agencies can look at my private information?
Under CISPA, companies can hand “cyber threat information” to any government agency,

Can the government use my private information for other purposes besides “cybersecurity” once they have it?
Yes.

link:s://:.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/04/cybersecurity-bill-faq-disturbing-privacy-dangers-cispa-and-how-you-stop-it



What they seem to be saying being: "Chinese and Russian internet thieves must be stopped, so we will read all of your private communications from now on, thank you."

Sad, poor and sad excuse... they aren't even trying anymore.

  America...

[VLS]

Why aren't there any "internet blackouts" and outcry?

The reason is very simple: CISPA'S GRANTING PRIVATE COMPANIES IMMUNITY.

"CISPA grants surveillance power to private entities "notwithstanding any other provision of law," which could override the right to sue under laws such as the Wiretap Act, the Stored Communications Act, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

As such, companies lose any legally based incentive to protect user privacy, like federal or state privacy laws that stop companies from sharing sensitive personal information like health records or financial data.

And to make things even better, participating in the sharing of cyber-security information is in itself deemed to be "good faith" by the law.

Have a hacker steal millions of financial records, health records, or credit card numbers, and as long as they were participating in CISPA, they were acting in "good faith" to secure their networks, and as such can not be sued for failing to protect their customer's personal data.

Complete and total excemption from privacy lawsuits? All for sharing a bit of data with the Feds?

I mean, if you were a corporate CEO, you'd almost be considered negligent NOT to sign up."

link:://:.isights.org/2012/04/cispas-good-faith-carrot-needs-no-stick.html

[GARNabby]

Don't worry, Victor, if you have the funds, then no landed casino (which i know of) is going to "rat" you out.  They have a lot of power too.