Cybersecurity and Privacy: We’re Watching

NSA surveillance activities under the PATRIOT Act and FISA are consuming the attention of policymakers in Washington. At the same time, Senators are working on cybersecurity legislation that could give the NSA an even larger view into the communications of people in the U.S.

Thirty-eight civil society groups and tech companies just sent a letter to say, “We’re watching.” Citing the recent disclosures about NSA surveillance, the letter calls for Senate negotiators to include in any cybersecurity legislation “robust and meaningful” privacy protections at least as strong as those that appeared in the cybersecurity bill the Senate considered last year. They aim to ensure that a civilian agency—the Department of Homeland Security, and not the super-secret NSA—is in charge of cybersecurity for the civilian sector.