By David N. Fagan and Kristen E. Eichensehr
In a call with reporters Monday, Representatives Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), respectively the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (“HPSCI”), announced several planned amendments to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (“CISPA”). The bill is expected to come to a vote in HPSCI on Wednesday.
CISPA passed the House last April, despite opposition by privacy groups and a veto threat by the White House. Congressmen Rogers and Ruppersberger intend to use amendments to alleviate concerns that derailed the bill last year. Specifically, reports (here and here) indicate that amendments will:
- Eliminate a provision that would have allowed government agencies to use shared cybersecurity information for “national security purposes”;
- Allow private companies to use cybersecurity information they receive from the government only for cybersecurity purposes;
- Require the government to remove personally identifiable information from information shared pursuant to the Act; and
- Clarify that CISPA does not authorize hacking in retaliation for cyber theft, as some had alleged.
The list of amendments does not include one Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) intends to offer that would require companies to remove personally identifiable information from data before sharing it with the government.