'Cyber threat' bill a threat in itself

While healthcare reform has held the legislative spotlight for the last several months, Americans are being warned that another piece of legislation that is "very much alive" in Congress constitutes a significant threat to their personal liberties.



It was in early April when Senator John Rockefeller (D-West Virginia) introduced the Cybersecurity Act of 2009 (S. 773) on the Senate floor. The legislation -- touted as necessary to "ensure the free flow of commerce within the U.S. and its global trading partners through secure cyber communications" -- would establish a new Cybersecurity Advisory Panel within the White House. It would also streamline the government's cybersecurity efforts and establish a clearinghouse for threat and vulnerability information. (See earlier article)

The American Center for Liberty & Justice (ACLJ) acknowledges that certain sacrifices are necessary in protecting the nation's communications networks. But it questions the need for another aspect of the bill -- the section that grants new authority for the president to "declare a cybersecurity emergency and order the limitation or shutdown of Internet traffic to and from any compromised Federal Government or United States critical infrastructure information system or network."

laptop computer typingIn other words, says the ACLJ, Rockefeller's bill "would grant the federal government virtually complete control over all electronic communication."