On the recordOctober 26, 2015
Madam President, tomorrow we will vote on my amendment to the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, or CISA. I am proud to be joined on this amendment by Senators Leahy, Durbin, and Wyden, each of whom has worked to try to ensure that any cyber legislation passed by this body is effective and adequately safeguards the privacy and civil liberties of the American people. My amendment tightens the definitions of the terms ``cyber security threat'' and ``cyber threat indicator'' in the bill. These changes will help ensure that CISA's broad authorities are not triggered in circumstances where no real cyber threats are present. This makes the bill more privacy protected and more likely to work effectively. The amendment is supported by more than 30 civil society organizations, from the American Civil Liberties Union to prominent Libertarian groups like R Street. As I will describe, it addresses specific concerns that have been raised by security experts, major tech companies, and even the Department of Homeland Security. Under CISA, companies are authorized to monitor users online, share information with one another and with the Federal Government, and deploy defensive measures--all to protect against ``cyber security threats.'' Any action that may result in any unauthorized effort to adversely impact cyber security can be deemed a cyber security threat; that is, may result.…





