New Cybersecurity Bill Stirs Congress

November 14, 2012 By News Staff

After a failed attempt to pass cybersecurity legislation through Congress that, during a national "cyberemergency" would give President Obama power over private networks, Sen. Joe Lieberman has sponsored a new, more modest version of the bill. A debate on this bill could happen as soon as this week, CNET reported.

The last cybersecurity bill -- Lieberman's Cybersecurity Act of 2012 -- was blocked by House Republicans and supporting organizations that called the bill "deeply flawed." Many of the same concerns continue to linger with civil liberties groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which warned that the bill gives "companies new rights to monitor our private communications and pass that data to the government."

Talk of an executive order from the White House, in which Obama would bypass Congress and implement part of the bill to protect the nation during indecision, has circulated for months, and several top officials confirm that the order is ready to go.

Some experts have said, however, that the proposed executive order would lack the power needed to protect the nation's infrastructure, merely creating a voluntary information-sharing program. Others support an executive order.

For more on Sen. Lieberman's new bill, in-depth coverage can be found on CNET.

Photo of Joe Lieberman courtesy of spirit of america / Shutterstock.com

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