Broadband Tech > Security > Security > Reid Poised to Introduce Yet Another Internet Bill

Reid Poised to Introduce Yet Another Internet Bill

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) launches a second round of attacks in an attempt to censor the Internet.

After trying to adopt Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA), both pieces of legislation turned out to be a disaster, causing outrage among Internet giants and ordinary users alike. Congress had to retreat. However it's determined to get what it wants this time.

After the shelving of SOPA and PIPA back in January Reid stated,“There is no reason that the legitimate issues raised by many about this bill cannot be resolved.”

As RT reported last month, Senator Reid added that lawmakers will “continue engaging with all stakeholders to forge a balance between protecting Americans’ intellectual property, and maintaining openness and innovation on the Internet.”

The vote on the anti-piracy legislation was postponed from its January 24date after Wikipedia and other popular websites went dark to protest the draft law.

Now the battle for online freedom continues.

The rebuttal to push Internet-regulating legislation has transformed into a new cybersecurity bill. The particulars of the latest attempt by senators to censor the Internet have not been disclosed to the public.

However some leaks suggest that the bill will grant the authority to crack down on the Internet to the executive branch of power, namely the White House. It looks highly possible taking into consideration that the legislation has to come out of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, chaired by Connecticut Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman.

The same Lieberman who earlier co-sponsored the so called Kill Switch bill that could allow the president of the United States to "declare a cybersecurity emergency," and practically shut down the Internet.

After outrage from Internet advocacy groups, Kill Switch never made it in the Senate. This time it may be back under a new name.

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Despite the harsh public outcry against the anti-piracy bills such as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (left) is forging ahead with yet another Internet regulation bill. This measure is packaged under the guise of cyber-security, but it serves ultimately the same purpose as SOPA and PIPA by providing more authority to the federal government over the Internet.

Though the contents of the bill have generally been kept secret, there are some indications that the legislation could be stronger than President Obama’s cybersecurity proposal, released in May 2011. That measure recommended that the Department of Homeland Security be assigned authority over cybersecurity issues related to civilian networks, and that the DHS program be “developed in consultation with privacy and civil liberties experts and with the approval of the Attorney General.”

The Daily Caller reports, “A classified meeting behind closed doors in October 2011 between key Senate committee leaders with jurisdiction over cybersecurity and White House officials, took place at the request of the Obama administration. Lieberman…said that past Senate cybersecurity bills were considerably stronger than the White House proposal.”

Reid’s bill will reportedly expand the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act penalties to cyberspace as well.

Reid has been a major proponent of giving the Department of Homeland Security broader authority, and has criticized bills that fail to adequately authorize the DHS to regulate the Internet, such as the recent House legislation — the Promoting and Enhancing Cybersecurity and Information Sharing Effectiveness Act of 2011 (PrECISE Act) — which gives the DHS power to act in the event of a cyber attack. Reid has maintained that the bill fails to give the DHS enough power.

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The particulars of the latest attempt by senators to censor the Internet have not been disclosed to the public.

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Though the contents of the bill have generally been kept secret, there are some indications that the legislation could be stronger than President Obama’s cybersecurity proposal, released in May 2011.

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reply to caffeinator
Time to picket Holy Joe's office and home here in CT again, I guess.

I'll be glad when he's gone. 11 months and counting...

reply to caffeinator

said by caffeinator:

said by fatness:

So in other words there is no such bill yet, correct?

FAIK, yes. But I thought a heads-up might be nice.

Bribery in Congress becomes an official and very profitable business for members...
Is there any way to stop it? Or it's too late to do anything now...

We need Stop Congress Bribery Act (SCBA) and we need it now!
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Keep it simple, it'll become complex by itself...

Not to mention Super-PAC's are now just dandy. :|
»www.politico.com/news/stories/02···531.html

reply to OZO

reply to fatness
There still isn't a bill yet. One is expected next week, from an R, a D, and an I. There is no mention of any SOPA provisions in this article: »www.federaltimes.com/article/201···NGRESS02

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Three senators are expected to introduce a long-awaited cybersecurity bill next week that will overhaul the way the government protects critical networks.

Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and John Rockefeller, D-W.Va., are now putting final touches on the bill, which mirrors a reform proposal outlined by the White House in May.

The bill would authorize the Department of Homeland Securityto beef up security standards for privately owned critical networks, such as those affecting transportation and water systems, said Leslie Phillips, spokeswoman for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Companies operating such systems, however, could appeal DHS' regulation of them, Phillips said.

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The bill also would:

• Revise the 2002 Federal Information Security Management Act to require continuous monitoring of agencies' information technology systems and put an end to manual, paper-based reporting of agencies' security levels.

• Outline how DHS and the private sector are to share cybersecurity information.

• Consolidate all infrastructure cybersecurity programs within DHS' National Protection and Programs Directorate into a new unit called the National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications..

• Promote research and development, training and hiring of cyber professionals.

Unlike the White House proposal, the bill will not detail how and when companies, including those operating critical infrastructure, should report a breach to consumers.

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