The US Congress, faced with a possible government shutdown, is allegedly considering the re-introduction of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) this week.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is reportedly believed to be considering resurrecting the controversial bill, claims The Politico, a DC area political newspaper.
Opinions are divided on the issue, as one source claimed that a “likeness” of the bill will return to the table while another doubted its reintroduction, saying it was “all very uncertain” and “technically possible, but nothing definitive.”
If lawmakers approve the CISA, which many Americans see as a double-edged sword, it will grant legal immunity to companies that wish to monitor their customers and share private information with the US government if they are believed to constitute a ‘cybersecurity threat’.
The law would empower the federal government to legally spy on US citizens, according to privacy activists, who are calling the proposed legislation a “surveillance bill in disguise.”
“I hope they remember how contentious this bill is. I hope they remember they’ve got 21 amendments in order. I hope they choose something else,” said Access senior legislative manager Nathan White, who said on Sunday that the likelihood of a renewed CISA push has gone from rumor to “likely.”
The debates have intensified as The Business Software Alliance (BSA) issued a letter to Congress this September asking for the implementation of five legislative efforts that they claim will boost the digital economy of the US.
The letter, signed by Apple, Microsoft, Siemens, Oracle, IBM and others, argues in favor of the information-sharing bill, claiming that it is one of the five measures the US federal government could take to “protect sensitive information by enabling private actors in possession of information about vulnerability and intrusions to more easily share that information voluntarily with others under threat.”
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http://www.infowars.com/notorious-us-surveillance-bill-may-kill-internet-privacy-this-week/