Cybersecurity Bill Proposes Unprecedented Government Power Over the Internet - A cybersecurity bill introduced today in the Senate would give the federal government extraordinary power over private sector Internet services, applications and software. The Cybersecurity Act of 2009 would, for example, give the President unfettered power to shut down Internet traffic in emergencies or disconnect any critical infrastructure system or network on national security grounds. The bill would grant the Commerce Department the ability to override all privacy laws to access any information about Internet usage in connection with a new role in tracking cybersecurity threats. The bill, introduced by Sens. John Rockefeller and Olympia Snowe, would also give the government unprecedented control over computer software and Internet services, threatening innovation, freedom and privacy. CDT President and CEO Leslie Harris said, "The cybersecurity threat is real, but such a drastic federal intervention in private communications technology and networks could harm both security and privacy." April 01, 2009
Share this articleHomeland Security Intelligence Needs Focus, CDT Tells Congress - In congressional testimony today, the Center for Democracy & Technology cautioned that a growing system for collection and sharing of homeland security intelligence has inappropriately targeted First Amendment and other innocent activity. Citing examples of abuse, CDT called on a subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee to ensure that domestic intelligence efforts better focus on possible criminal conduct and that such efforts are brought under strong privacy protection guidelines. March 18, 2009
Share this articleFederal Law Does Not Block Disclosure of State Records, Court Rules - A California appellate court has ruled that, under the state's open government law, local officials can't withhold otherwise public information on the ground that it was submitted to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as "protected critical infrastructure information." The state court found that the Santa Clara county Geographic Information System basemap was relevant to understanding government decisions on zoning, taxation, and deployment of public services. CDT had joined in a legal brief arguing that local officials could not launder records through the federal government in order to evade their own freedom of information requirements. February 09, 2009
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