So, How Upset Should We Be About CISPA?

Image from source, Think Progress.

Remember a few months ago when many on the internet (Greenlee Gazette included) were trumpeting the "STOP SOPA" message? There were twin bills in the houses of Congress, SOPA and PIPA, and both were attempts to deal with 21st Century media and communications. But they went way too far, and had so many (hopefully) unintended consequences, that the internet rose up--with the help of Facebook and other heavy hitters--and slew SOPA and PIPA. Hallelujah!

So, why is Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) sneaking under the radar, seemingly with the support of companies like Facebook? It seems once again to be a bit of legislation with arguably good intentions, but with hideous, odious potential consequences. For me, the parts that seem absolutely nuts, are provisions that make it exempt from other laws. It's almost like an asterisk on the Constitution's bill of rights. Can a law like that be Constitutional? Would we trust the current Supreme Court, post-Citizens United, post-we can strip search you for a parking offense Roberts court to rule on it? Where's George Clooney? Brad Pitt? Sean Penn? This seems like it needs more focus.

[Excerpt]

What Everyone Who Uses The Internet Needs To Know About CISPA 

CISPA’s broad language will likely give the government access to anyone’s personal information with few privacy protections: CISPA allows the government access to any “information pertaining directly to a vulnerability of, or threat to, a system or network of a government or private entity.” There is little indication of what this information could include, and what it means to be ‘pertinent’ to cyber security. Without boundaries, any internet user’s personal, private information would likely be fair game for the government. . .

Read (much, much) more at: Think Progress

GOP Candidates Against SOPA & PIPA

Finally, something nearly all of us seem to agree with. Though Rick (don't Google me) Santorum hedged a bit.

Congressional Panel Approves Tracking Our Internet History

Hey, if we can't trust Chris Hansen, why
would we trust the government?
Image from source, Raw Story

Are you paranoid? Do you always feel like somebody's watching you? Well, the government is going to make you less paranoid by confirming it! A bipartisan panel has approved a bill that will force broadband providers to track your every move for a year! This tragically misguided bill is aimed at stopping online pedophiles. It might do that, but it does much more than that. This is Big Brother at his worst (best?).

After all of the anti-gay and anti-abortion activity by Republicans, I expect this sort of thing from them. But Debbie Wasserman-Schultz is a cosponsor of this monstrosity. And that is very disappointing.

[Excerpt]

House panel approves bill forcing ISPs to log users’ web history

The House Judiciary Committee approved legislation on Thursday that would require Internet service providers (ISPs) to collect and retain records about Internet users' activity. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Justice Department Shields Bush Yet Again

Photo from source, Raw Story

Boy, for an administration that thinks we citizens have no right to privacy, anywhere or any time, they sure demand it for themselves. Bush himself has publicly said that he eschews email because he doesn't want us to know what he's talking about. Nice.

So here we have just one more example of the Bush Administration making it's own rules and policing itself. If we ever extricate ourselves from the anti-American state of affairs in the White House, Bush's actions will keep historians and scholars busy for years, studying what he tried to do.

[Excerpt]

Justice Department says legal opinion on Executive orders is classified

Refuses to provide legal opinions on executive power

The Bush Administration's Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel is refusing to turn over a document providing its analysis of Bush's justification for executive orders.

Responding to a Freedom of Information Act request from the Federation of American Scientists, the office said the document was "classified. . ."

Read more at: Raw Story

Nothing is Private: DHS Data-mines Travelers

In the past, it was very easy to deride privacy advocates as alarmist, tin-foil-hatters. But, look at this, and tell me that this is the United States of America that we all learned about in school. Tell me this squares with what the founders set out to form.

Yes, this particular article deals with those people traveling from Europe to the United States, but remember, that would include you and me if we go there on a round-trip ticket. And do you really think that they only do this with foreign travel? That this isn't part of a larger data-mining program? And do you trust this administration to use this information only "where the life of a data subject or of others could be imperiled or seriously impaired?"

It's disgusting, it's wrong, and I dearly hope our next President starts dismantling some of these gross violations of people's rights.

[Excerpt]

Travelers Face Greater Use of Personal Data
Pact Covers Passengers Flying From Europe to U.S.

By Paul Lewis and Spencer S. Hsu

Washington Post Staff Writers

Friday, July 27, 2007

The United States and the European Union have agreed to expand a security program that shares personal data about millions of U.S.-bound airline passengers a year, potentially including information about a person's race, ethnicity, religion and health.

Under the agreement, airlines flying from Europe to the United States are required to provide data related to these matters to U.S. authorities if it exists in their reservation systems. The deal allows Washington to retain and use it only "where the life of a data subject or of others could be imperiled or seriously impaired," such as in a counterterrorism investigation.

According to the deal, the information that can be used in such exceptional circumstances includes "racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership" and data about an individual's health, traveling partners and sexual orientation.

Yep, you read that right: sexual orientation. For WHAT possible "security" purpose?

Read on, it gets worse: WashingtonPost.com