Sen Wyden: White House-backed cybersecurity bill sacrifices privacy

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) warned that the Senate's cybersecurity legislation is an "overreaction" that would undermine Americans' right to privacy. He said the legislation, which is supported by the White House, shares some of the same "defects" as the House's Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). He said both the House and Senate bills "subordinate all existing privacy rules and constitutional principles to the poorly defined interest of 'cybersecurity.' " Both bills would remove legal barriers that prevent companies from sharing cyber-threat information with each other and with the government. The Senate bill, which is sponsored by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), is widely considered to have stronger privacy protections than CISPA. But Sen Wyden said the Senate bill should be more specific about what types of data can be shared and which agencies can have access to it. He argued it should be tougher for companies to secure legal immunity under the legislation.