Fergie's Tech Blog

U.S. Senators Seek to Defuse Criticism of Cybersecurity Bill

A CongressDaily article by Chris Strohm, via NextGov.com, reports:

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and ranking member Susan Collins, R-Maine, plan to fight back Thursday against criticism that their sweeping cybersecurity bill goes too far in allowing the government to shut down Internet services during emergencies.

The bill, which their committee plans to mark up Thursday, has come under fire in the blogosphere and from some privacy-rights advocates because it would give the president authority to declare a national cybersecurity emergency and take critical information technology systems offline in dire situations when no other option is available.

Under the bill, the emergency declaration could last for 30 days and then be renewed.

But Lieberman and Collins, along with Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., another principal sponsor of the measure, plan to introduce a manager's amendment Thursday that would require a congressional resolution of approval if the president wants to impose emergency measures longer than 120 days.

The senators also issued a document Wednesday to counter what they said are myths being spread about their bill.

posted by Fergie @ 6/24/2010 11:37:00 AM