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World War Web Advisory #4: S.2105 Cybersecurity Act of 2012 a.k.a. The Empire Strikes Back

by ironboltbruce 2/16/2012 - 9:57 am

S.2105 Cybersecurity Act of 2012

 

WORLD WAR WEB ADVISORY #4: S. 2105 CYBERSECURITY ACT OF 2012 A.K.A. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Before eyes not blinded by a mainstream media controlled by the corporate fascist elite, Orwell's 1984 nightmare continues to unfold as the powers and reach of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are once again extended and codified:

"Introduced Tuesday, the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 [S 2105] would direct the Department of Homeland Security to work in concert with industry members and relevant government agencies to conduct a series of risk assessments and determine which private-sector firms would be deemed to operate "covered critical infrastructure," a crucial designation that would determine whether a private-sector entity could be subjected to new regulatory oversight."

http://www.itworldcanada.com/news/u-s-cybersecurity-bill-to-empower-home...

"The legislation would codify some of the authority the Obama administration has granted the Department of Homeland Security over federal civilian agency IT security and create the National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications [NCCC] within DHS, headed by a Senate-confirmed director, to coordinate federal efforts to battle cybersecurity threats facing the government and the nation's critical information infrastructure, the mostly privately owned networks that control the flow of money, energy, food, transportation and other vital resources that the economy needs to function."

http://www.govinfosecurity.com/articles.php?art_id=4506

"The Cybersecurity Act of 2012 would have the Department of Homeland Security determine what qualifies as critical infrastructure and require compliance with a set of security standards.  The legislation defines as critical infrastructure systems 'whose disruption from a cyberattack would cause mass death, evacuation, or major damage to the economy, national security, or daily life'."

http://www.france24.com/en/20120215-us-senate-new-cybersecurity-push

"The Act [includes] an exemption to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) rules...  The question remains how a private citizen is going to find out that the information being monitored went beyond an attempt to detect a cybersecurity threat...  Another concern that will likely be raised is that the government will able to require compliance by a company by designating an entity as a covered critical infrastructure."

http://www.dataprivacymonitor.com/federal-legislation/the-cybersecurity-...

Full Text of S2105, The Cybersecurity Act of 2012:

http://docs.ismgcorp.com/files/external/CYBER_The_Cybersecurity_Act_of_2...

Note: As of this writing, Reddit.com is blocking every article we attempt to post re S. 2105 to "r/Politics".

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Tag: #s2105, #nccc, #cybersecurity, #infosec, #dhs, #obama, #fascism, #ows, #worldwarweb, #vvvpr

Key: s.2105, s. 2105, s2105, s 2105, cybersecurity act, cybersecurity act of 2012, cybersecurity, information security, obama, dhs, department of homeland security, dhs, nccc, national center for cybersecurity and communications, security industrial complex, intelligence industrial complex, internet security, fascism, corporate fascism, ows, occupy wall street, world war web, vvv pr

 

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This bill has some features that make me suspicious.  It was introduced by Joe Lieberman, who is no friend of civil liberties, so there's a demerit.  It also once contained a provision for an "Internet Kill Switch," that would allow the White House to unilaterally shut down the whole Web in a time of emergency.  That's been removed, though I suspect that the President already has such expansive powers during a time of emergency that it's only a matter of pragmatics, rather than stated authority, that would keep a determined president from doing this.

So, how about the rest of the bill?  The corporate fascist elite, as represented by the Chamber of Commerce, oppose the legislation because it means the government can force key infrastructure companies to pony up for security measures.  On that issue, I'm in favor of the legislation.  We allow private companies to profit from the smooth running of our information infrastructure.  Those companies should pay to keep it secure.  I have no problem, for example, with holding a for profit power company financially responsible for securing its operations.

So, then the question becomes... will the government loop virtually all companies into this and then use its  authority to secretly monitor Internet traffic and private communications without a warrant?  I'm doubtful.  It's already very easy for the government to do this under current law, without having to make absurd claims like "Godaddy.com is now a nationally important infrastructure company."

by destor23 2/16/2012 - 1:23 pm

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