Sen Chambliss: 'Very close' to introducing CISPA counterpart

Sen Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that he is "very close" to introducing legislation that would encourage companies and the government to share information about cyberattacks. The bill, which Sen. Chambliss is working on with Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), would be the Senate's version of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), which passed the House in April.

Sen. Chambliss said he and Chairman Feinstein have been working closely with their House counterparts, CISPA authors Reps. Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD). He predicted that if the Senate passes the information-sharing bill, it could be merged with CISPA. The cybersecurity bill would remove legal barriers that prevent companies from sharing information with each other and the government about cyberattacks. Privacy advocates fear that CISPA would encourage Internet companies to hand over their users' private information to the NSA and other spy agencies.