Tech group representing Google, Yahoo backs CISPA

msandford wrote: post #2

Sure, why not? Why would you NOT want to avoid all kinds of lawsuits? From our point of view it's disgusting but for upper management it's a no-brainer.

Why is it "disgusting"?

Re: Tech group representing Google, Yahoo backs CISPA

#5

Post by mratzloff » Fri, Apr 12, 2013, 2:40 PM UTC

I wouldn't be surprised if this bill simply protected what they're already doing in secret. I'm sure all of these companies already have agreements with the NSA of one kind or another.

Re: Tech group representing Google, Yahoo backs CISPA

#6

Post by abdophoto » Fri, Apr 12, 2013, 2:42 PM UTC

Don't be evil.

Re: Tech group representing Google, Yahoo backs CISPA

#7

Post by msandford » Fri, Apr 12, 2013, 3:04 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #4

msandford wrote: post #2

Sure, why not? Why would you NOT want to avoid all kinds of lawsuits? From our point of view it's disgusting but for upper management it's a no-brainer.

Why is it "disgusting"?

Like all new laws this one will be sold one way and used another -- likely very expansionary -- way.

For example the Patriot Act was sold as a thing that would only be used to catch terrorists. It's total terrorist-catching prosecutions to date is trivial, zero to a few. But it's still getting used quite a bit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/28/us/us-uses-terror-law-to-p...

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-201_162-573155.html

I'm not saying that the people who got caught in many of those cases didn't do something wrong, nor am I saying that they should get away with no consequences. But I don't see how you can charge people with "terrorism" for doing decidedly non-terrorist things.

Re: Tech group representing Google, Yahoo backs CISPA

#8

Post by rdl » Fri, Apr 12, 2013, 3:11 PM UTC

This is the part where tptacek says CISPA doesn't do anything particularly bad vs. the state of law now, other people express fairly emotional vs. fact based arguments about what bad it could do, and no one (in industry or government or watchdog groups) really knows for sure what CISPA would, in practice, mean, right?

Re: Tech group representing Google, Yahoo backs CISPA

#9

Post by rpedroso » Fri, Apr 12, 2013, 3:19 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #4

msandford wrote: post #2

Sure, why not? Why would you NOT want to avoid all kinds of lawsuits? From our point of view it's disgusting but for upper management it's a no-brainer.

Why is it "disgusting"?

Because CISPA's definition of a "cybersecurity" threat is too broad. One of the vague terms it employs is "unauthorized access" -- a term we have seen abused recently in the cases of Aaron Swartz and Weev.

My fear is that, like the PATRIOT act, CISPA will grant overly-broad powers to intelligence agencies that will be employed for general surveillance. My view is that any law that curtails liberty should do so minimally. I don't oppose fighting cybersecurity threats, but the bill needs work still.

For anyone curious, the ACLU has several blog posts breaking down the problems with CISPA: http://www.aclu.org/search/cispa?show_aff=1

Re: Tech group representing Google, Yahoo backs CISPA

#10

Post by 6thSigma » Fri, Apr 12, 2013, 3:20 PM UTC

Didn't Google recently file a lawsuit claiming that NSLs which are used to uncover private user information are unconstitutional?

Edit: They did [1].

[1] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-04/google-fights-u-s-n...