Latest cyber security bill riddled with Net neutrality loopholes

The latest cyber security information sharing bill being considered in the Senate strikes many as overly broad and in need of revision.

In fact, say some it's worded vaguely enough that it could be used by Internet service providers to sidestep network neutrality provisions in the name of public safety.

The wording of the bill -- like with so many of its predecessors that went down to defeat -- is being carefully scrutinized for possible side effects, including being used as a backdoor way for ISPs to undermine net neutrality. For example, throttling Netflix could be classified as a countermeasure as long as a good excuse could be found.

A letter jointly authored by a number of civil liberties groups and sent to the bill's sponsors, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), outlines a number of ways the bill could be abused.

In addition to worries that the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) could lead to a militarization of the cyber security program, the letter also expresses concerns about how provisions in the bill "could be construed to modify or alter any Open Internet rules adopted by the Federal Communications Commission. Net neutrality is a complex topic and policy on this matter should not be set by cyber security legislation."