Political Quotes

“Madam Chair, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3523, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). The main topic this week, as announced by the House Republican Leadership, is cyber security, a serious issue for our Nation. As we become more dependent on computers and technology for even common or routine actions that happen every day, we become at increased risk of great damage from a cyber attack. Nations or individuals who wish us harm know that, and so we must be vigilant. What we are considering today is premised on the idea that greater information sharing of cyber threats between the government and the private sector will improve security. While this is a relatively uncontroversial idea in concept, the bill before us raises a number of concerns. It is important to note at the outset that the bill allows companies to share information, including private e-mails and other Internet communications, with the government--notwithstanding any other law. So, protections in existing law, such as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and the Wiretap Act, are totally superseded. The government could get all of your information without a warrant or subpoena, and you would have little ability, if any, to stop it. Such a blanket exemption should give us great pause. Unfortunately, the rest of the bill does not provide sufficient safeguards to justify this blanket exemption.…”