This past week, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act ended up clearing the US Senate floor with a 74 to 21 vote in support. This move puts the ability to give the government full access to private data one step closer to becoming a reality. Despite several protests from privacy advocates and tech industry giants such as Apple and Yahoo, CISA passed with an overwhelming amount of support from senators who argue the draft will drastically improve national security.
With the CISA in place, private companies would be allowed to share sensitive customer data relating to cyber threats with government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security and the NSA without risk of any legal retaliation. As noted by the folks over at The Guardian, CISA looks to set up a system where companies can legally share bulk data with DHS, which would then in turn parse out information to other agencies as deemed necessary. The companies that are participating in the program are subject to Freedom of Information Act requests or regulatory oversight related to data sharing activities.
The Cupertino California company, which is a large advocate for user data privacy, wrote a letter just last week blasting CISA’s current proposal stating that it undermines basic public privacy rights. Many other tech companies felt and expressed similar concerns. Apple had the following to say regarding the matter:
We don't support the current CISA proposal. The trust of our customers means everything to us and we don't believe security should come at the expense of their privacy.
What’s your stance on the whole situation? Share your thoughts below!
Source: Senate (Legislation & Records), The Guardian, Reuters
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