Jon Tester: “today I rise as a staunch supporter of every American's right to privacy. I rise because, like many Montanans, I have…”

“today I rise as a staunch supporter of every American's right to privacy. I rise because, like many Montanans, I have grave concerns about whether my personal information gets handed over to the government. As the Senate debates the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, I start by acknowledging the inherent conflict between the right to privacy and national security. Some folks want to pretend this conflict doesn't exist, but it does. Ask yourself this: How do we stop cyber terrorists from crashing our networks, stealing our personal information, and throwing our entire economy into a tailspin--an economy that is dependent on technology? How do we do this without violating your right to privacy and mine? How do we do this without giving the Federal Government far-reaching authority to share the personal information of law-abiding citizens? These are tough questions that require thoughtful answers, and I do believe we can answer them. I do believe we can strike a balance that protects our right to privacy and protects our Nation from threats. That is why I want to offer my support for a couple of amendments sponsored by colleagues from both sides of the aisle. The first amendment, from Senators Flake and Franken, provides the necessary 6-year sunset for this legislation. That means that in 6 years Congress would be forced to have another conversation about how we ensure every American's right to privacy while also ensuring our national security.…”