presence
04-05-2013, 05:21 PM
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http://leaksource.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/cispa-debate-will-happen-behind-closed-doors/
CISPA Debate Will Happen Behind Closed Doors
In CISPA (http://leaksource.wordpress.com/category/cispa/), News (http://leaksource.wordpress.com/category/news/) on April 5, 2013 at 5:55 AM
(http://leaksource.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/cispa-block.jpg)
04/04/2013
A Congressional debate over the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA (http://leaksource.wordpress.com/category/cispa/), set for next week will take place out of public view.
CISPA, which was reintroduced to the House of Representatives earlier this year, is set to undergo a markup session next week. During the session, members of the House Intelligence Committee will debate the bill and offer amendments before voting whether or not to move it to a full vote in the House — but it will be closed to the public and to press.
Instead, participants will be able to discuss the session publicly and the committee will offer information about amendments and votes after the markup is completed.
House Intelligence Committee Spokeswoman Susan Phalen told The Hill (http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/291743-house-intel-panel-plans-closed-door-mark-up-of-cybersecurity-bill) that the closed-doors policy is required because lawmakers may need to discuss classified information as part of the back-and-forth over the bill. The committee enforced the same policy last year when CISPA first underwent debate.
The committee’s decision to hold the CISPA markup session away from the public eye has disappointed some watchdog organizations.
“The public has a right to know what amendments are being introduced and debated on this bill especially when privacy and civil liberty issues are at stake,” said Pamela Behrsin, spokesperson for MapLight, a nonpartisan research organization that tracks money in politics. MapLight was hoping to liveblog from the markup session, which it can no longer do.
“When legislators debating laws for the people operate under a veil of secrecy it’s certainly not going to improve their approval rating, now at an all time low,” added Behrsin. “It’s one thing to move to a closed session to discuss classified information, but something entirely different when it’s a full markup with amendments and votes. The norm should be transparency and open government not closed doors.”
CISPA is intended to allow private companies and the federal government to share information about cybersecurity threats with one another. Proponents argue such two-way communication is necessary to beef up the United States’ defense against computer network intrusions, but detractors fear the bill amounts to allowing the federal government to snoop on citizens’ online activity.
CISPA passed the House last year despite a veto threat from the White House over privacy concerns, but was not introduced in the Senate before the end of the last term.
http://leaksource.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/cispa-debate-will-happen-behind-closed-doors/
CISPA Debate Will Happen Behind Closed Doors
In CISPA (http://leaksource.wordpress.com/category/cispa/), News (http://leaksource.wordpress.com/category/news/) on April 5, 2013 at 5:55 AM
(http://leaksource.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/cispa-block.jpg)
04/04/2013
A Congressional debate over the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA (http://leaksource.wordpress.com/category/cispa/), set for next week will take place out of public view.
CISPA, which was reintroduced to the House of Representatives earlier this year, is set to undergo a markup session next week. During the session, members of the House Intelligence Committee will debate the bill and offer amendments before voting whether or not to move it to a full vote in the House — but it will be closed to the public and to press.
Instead, participants will be able to discuss the session publicly and the committee will offer information about amendments and votes after the markup is completed.
House Intelligence Committee Spokeswoman Susan Phalen told The Hill (http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/291743-house-intel-panel-plans-closed-door-mark-up-of-cybersecurity-bill) that the closed-doors policy is required because lawmakers may need to discuss classified information as part of the back-and-forth over the bill. The committee enforced the same policy last year when CISPA first underwent debate.
The committee’s decision to hold the CISPA markup session away from the public eye has disappointed some watchdog organizations.
“The public has a right to know what amendments are being introduced and debated on this bill especially when privacy and civil liberty issues are at stake,” said Pamela Behrsin, spokesperson for MapLight, a nonpartisan research organization that tracks money in politics. MapLight was hoping to liveblog from the markup session, which it can no longer do.
“When legislators debating laws for the people operate under a veil of secrecy it’s certainly not going to improve their approval rating, now at an all time low,” added Behrsin. “It’s one thing to move to a closed session to discuss classified information, but something entirely different when it’s a full markup with amendments and votes. The norm should be transparency and open government not closed doors.”
CISPA is intended to allow private companies and the federal government to share information about cybersecurity threats with one another. Proponents argue such two-way communication is necessary to beef up the United States’ defense against computer network intrusions, but detractors fear the bill amounts to allowing the federal government to snoop on citizens’ online activity.
CISPA passed the House last year despite a veto threat from the White House over privacy concerns, but was not introduced in the Senate before the end of the last term.