Thread: SOPA changes name to CISPA

Here We GO!!! RED ALERT AMNESTY FIGHT 2012!!!

Go here to join in!

Red Alert: Illegal Alien Amnesty Fight 2012

CISPA is the New SOPA

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 – by Ron Paul

Ron Paul

Earlier this year, strong public opposition led by several prominent websites forced congressional leaders to cancel votes on two bills known in Washington as "SOPA" and "PIPA." Both of these bills threatened search engines and websites with possible shutdowns if the Justice Department deemed them insufficiently cooperative with our phony "war on terror," or if they were merely accused of copyright infringement. Fortunately, the American public flooded Capitol Hill with phone calls and congressional leaders dropped both bills.

But we should never underestimate the federal government's insatiable desire to control the Internet. Statists of all parties, persuasions and nationalities hate the free, unbridled flow of information, ideas and goods via the Internet. They resent the notion that ordinary people can communicate and trade across the world without government filters or approvals. So they continually seek to impose controls, always under the guise of fighting terrorism or protecting "intellectual property" rights.

The latest assault on Internet freedom is called the "Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act," or "CISPA," which may be considered by Congress this week. CISPA is essentially an Internet monitoring bill that permits both the federal government and private companies to view your private online communications with no judicial oversight − provided, of course, that they do so in the name of "cybersecurity." The bill is very broadly written, and allows the Department of Homeland Security to obtain large swaths of personal information contained in your emails or other online communication. It also allows emails and private information found online to be used for purposes far beyond any reasonable definition of fighting cyberterrorism.

CISPA represents an alarming form of corporatism, as it further intertwines government with companies like Google and Facebook. It permits them to hand over your private communications to government officials without a warrant, circumventing well-established federal laws like the Wiretap Act and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. It also grants them broad immunity from lawsuits for doing so, leaving you without recourse for invasions of privacy. Simply put, CISPA encourages some of our most successful Internet companies to act as government spies, sowing distrust of social media and chilling communication in one segment of the world economy where America still leads.

Proponents of CISPA may be well-intentioned but they unquestionably are leading us toward a national security state rather than a free constitutional republic. Imagine having government-approved employees embedded at Facebook, complete with federal security clearances, serving as conduits for secret information about their American customers.

If you believe in privacy and free markets, you should be deeply concerned about the proposed marriage of government intelligence gathering with private, profit-seeking companies. CISPA is Big Brother writ large, putting the resources of private industry to work for the nefarious purpose of spying on the American people. We can only hope the public responds to CISPA as it did to SOPA back in January. I urge you to learn more about the bill by reading a synopsis provided by the Electronic Frontier Foundation on their website at eff.org. I also urge you to call your federal Senators and Representatives and urge them to oppose CISPA and similar bills that attack internet freedom.

The Daily Bell - CISPA is the New SOPA

Security Experts Send Congress Letter on Fourth Amendment Busting CISPA

Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
April 24, 2012

On Monday, a group of prominent engineers, professionals and academics posted an open letter to Congress stating their opposition to CISPA, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act that trashes the Fourth Amendment and privacy of internet users.




Later this week, CISPA will go to the House floor for a vote. On Monday, Rep. Ron Paul said CISPA represents the “latest assault on Internet freedom” and “is Big Brother writ large.”

Rep. Rogers’ Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (H.R. 3523) and Sen. McCain’s SECURE IT Act (S. 2151) “nullify current legal protections against wiretapping and similar civil liberties violations for that kind of broad data sharing,” the letter states. “By encouraging the transfer of users’ private communications to US Federal agencies, and lacking good public accountability or transparency, these ‘cybersecurity’ bills unnecessarily trade our civil liberties for the promise of improved network security.”
The experts explicitly reject “this false trade-off” and urge Congress to oppose the “cybersecurity initiative that does not explicitly include appropriate methods to ensure the protection of users’ civil liberties.”

In particular, the letter points out that the legislation exempts “cybersecurity” activities from existing laws that protect individuals’ privacy and devices, such as the Wiretap Act, the Stored Communications Act, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. It gives sweeping immunity from liability to companies even if they violate individuals’ privacy, and without evidence of wrongdoing and also permits data originally collected through “cybersecurity” programs to be used to prosecute unrelated crimes.

“We appreciate your interest in making our networks more secure, but passing legislation that suffers from the problems above would be a grave mistake for privacy and civil liberties, and will not be a step forward in making us safer,” the signatories conclude.

Read the entire open letter here.

CISPA, however, is not designed to guard against real or imagined cyber security threats. It is an all-out effort to provide a legal facade for an ongoing effort to convert the internet into a surveillance platform of previously unimagined proportion.

As National Security Agency whistleblower William Binney recently explained, the government has collected email and other internet-based information for some time. The effort is so pervasive, Binney notes, that it includes some 20 trillion “transactions” — phone calls, emails and other forms of data — and likely includes copies of almost all of the emails sent and received from most people living in the United States.

In the mid-1970s, the Church Committee warned that the NSA and the CIA would eventually create a massive surveillance apparatus. “I know the capacity that is there to make tyranny total in America, and we must see to it that this agency and all agencies that possess this technology operate within the law and under proper supervision, so that we never cross over that abyss. That is the abyss from which there is no return,” Senator Frank Church said at the time.

CISPA represents the bridge over the abyss from which there is no return. It must be defeated. It is imperative that you call your “representative” this week and tell them to vote against CISPA before tyranny becomes total in America.

2nd Video: CISPA: Fascist Takeover of The Internet, Take 3 - YouTube

» Security Experts Send Congress Letter on Fourth Amendment Busting CISPA Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

Similar/Related Articles

1. Open Letter From Security Experts to Congress: Stop Bad Cybersecurity Bills
2. CISPA: Greatest Threat to Cybersecurity (& The Free Internet)
3. SOPA mutates into much worse CISPA, the latest threat to internet free speech
4. CISPA: Congress Takes Another Run at the Internet
5. Red Alert: Draconian CISPA Bill Picking Up Sponsors Ahead of Vote Next Week
6. Ron Paul Slams Internet Control Bill CISPA
7. CISPA – HR 3523: The New SOPA
8. Cybersecurity Bill Authors Defend Legislation Against ‘Privacy Disaster’ Claims
9. CISPA: Draconian Bill Would Forces Companies to Spy for The FED
10. Fourth Amendment Busting Sneak and Peek Warrants On the Rise
11. SOPA’s Evil Twin Sister – CISPA
12. Red Alert: We Must Resist CISPA Takeover of the Internet!
    

CISPA Amendment Allows DHS to Intercept Tax Returns

Perennial big government advocate Sheila Jackson Lee strikes again

Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Wednesday, April 25, 2012

An amendment introduced to the controversial CISPA bill by perennial big government advocate Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee would empower the Department of Homeland Security to intercept online IRS tax returns and any other Internet traffic deemed to transit networks owned by the federal government or operated on its behalf.
“Jackson Lee’s amendment (PDF) is broad enough to sweep in government contractors and university networks such as Internet2 and CENIC, said a telecommunications attorney who did not want to be identified because of client sensitivity. It also appears to cover open Wi-Fi networks run by federal agencies and networks in government-provided housing,” reports CNet’s Declan McCullagh.
Not only would the amendment give Big Sis the power to monitor all government networks, it could also, according to McCullagh and Ryan Radia, associate director of technology studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, “allow Homeland Security to monitor the communications of the federal courts and Congress, and intercept tax returns sent to the IRS.”
Given the fact that the Department of Homeland Security has already identified all kinds of mundane behavior as “suspicious activity” possibly indicative of terrorism, the prospect of the federal agency trawling through Americans’ 1040 forms is nothing less than chilling.
The CISPA bill has already come under attack from all sides of the political spectrum because it states that “notwithstanding any other provision of law,” companies may share information with the government, demolishing fourth amendment privacy protections.
Earlier this week Congressman Ron Paul slammed the legislation as a “Big Brother writ,” writing, “CISPA is essentially an Internet monitoring bill that permits both the federal government and private companies to view your private online communications with no judicial oversight, provided, of course, that they do so in the name of cyber security.”
Targeting Americans for spying and punitive measures through their relationship with the IRS has been a common theme in recent weeks, with a separate bill, the ‘Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act’ (MAP-21), giving the IRS the power to revoke passports of Americans merely accused of owing $50,000 or more in back taxes.
Texas Democrat Jackson Lee has aggressively pushed for extra powers for the DHS on a number of different fronts, most recently when she promoted a program that places TSA agents on Houston buses as undercover spies tasked with interrogating passengers and searching bags.
Jackson-Lee also savaged a newly passed law that enables airports to evict TSA screeners and replace them with private security, ludicrously claiming that such changes would cause a new 9/11-style attack.
Jackson-Lee’s amendment will be debated during a House floor hearing tomorrow, with the full CISPA bill expected to face a vote on Friday amidst a crescendo of vocal opposition.*********************Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show and Infowars Nightly News.

Prison Planet.com » CISPA Amendment Allows DHS to Intercept Tax Returns

White House threatens to veto House's CISPA cybersecurity bill
By Brendan Sasso - 04/25/12 03:50 PM ET

The White House threatened to veto a controversial House cybersecurity bill on Wednesday, saying the measure would fail to protect critical infrastructure systems and would undermine Internet privacy.

The House is expected to approve the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) on Friday.

"Legislation should address core critical infrastructure vulnerabilities without sacrificing the fundamental values of privacy and civil liberties for our citizens, especially at a time our Nation is facing challenges to our economic well-being and national security," the White House said.

The goal of CISPA is to help companies beef up their defenses against hackers who steal business secrets, rob customers' financial information and wreak havoc on computer systems. The bill would tear down legal barriers that discourage companies from sharing information about cyber threats.

The administration said it supports increasing information-sharing but that CISPA lacks adequate privacy protections.

Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), the authors of CISPA, announced amendments on Tuesday to address the concerns of privacy advocates, but the changes were apparently not enough to appease the White House.

In a statement, Rogers and Ruppersberger, said their amendments "address nearly every single one of the criticisms leveled by the Administration, particularly those regarding privacy and civil liberties of Americans."

The administration criticized CISPA for not requiring that companies strip out personally identifiable information, such as names or birthdays, from the data they turn over to the government. The administration also said the bill should be amended to ensure that the data is only used for appropriate purposes.

"Citizens have a right to know that corporations will be held legally accountable for failing to safeguard personal information adequately," the White House said.

The administration emphasized that a civilian agency such as the Homeland Security Department — not military spy agencies — should have a central role in handling the cyber threat information.

The statement also argued that CISPA would grant overly broad liability protection to companies that share cyber threat information.

"This broad liability protection not only removes a strong incentive to improving cybersecurity, it also potentially undermines our Nation's economic, national security, and public safety interests," the White House said.

Unlike a cybersecurity bill in the Senate, CISPA would not set mandatory security standards for critical infrastructure systems such as electrical grids or chemical plants.

The White House and backers of the Senate cybersecurity bill argue that mandatory standards are necessary to prevent a catastrophic cyberattack.

"The Congress must also include authorities to ensure our Nation's most vital critical infrastructure assets are properly protected by meeting minimum cybersecurity performance standards," the White House said on Wednesday.

But GOP House leaders have indicated they will not allow a vote on any bill that creates new regulations for cybersecurity. Critics of the mandates say they are unnecessary and would be burdensome for businesses.

The White House argued that "voluntary measures alone are insufficient responses to the growing danger of cyber threats."

In the statement, the White House said "looks forward to continuing to engage with the Congress in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion to enact cybersecurity legislation," but that if Congress passed the current version of CISPA, the president's senior advisers would recommend that he veto it.

White House threatens to veto House's CISPA cybersecurity bill - The Hill's Hillicon Valley


Hmmm prolly not strong enough for them...

Dead on arrival? Dutch Parliament kills ACTA before EU vote

Published: 29 May, 2012, 20:41

Protesters wearing Anonymous Guy Fawkes masks take part in a demonstration against controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) (AFP Photo/Jean-Philippe Ksiazek)

Lawmakers in Holland have voted to strike down the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), slammed by many as a free speech and information access choker. Dutch MPs have also ruled the government will never sign any such agreement.

The Dutch parliamentarians have opted not to wait for the EU’s vote on ACTA which is set for June, with consultations kicking off already this Thursday.

"The treaty should be taken off table, whatever the decision the European Parliament should take," said MP Kees Verhoeven, a major sponsor of Tuesday’s motion in the Dutch Parliament.

Lisa Neves Goncalves, a spokeswoman for the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, said the government had earlier this year stated it would not sign off on the treaty until it was clear it did not breach the Dutch or EU constitution.

As the controversial bill is making its slow way through the EU Parliament, the UK Pirate Party, the Open Rights Group (ORG) and the French La Quadrature Du Net are calling for more anti-bill rallies.

"The votes this Thursday, in three of the Committees responsible for offering 'Opinions' on the treaty, will really affect whether the European Parliament ultimately rejects ACTA or not. It is important that your MEP understand people's concerns. And calling your MEP will help make this happen," says the Open Rights Group in a blog post.

ACTA is an international agreement aimed at protecting intellectual property. It somewhat resembles the US’s Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which was shelved by lawmakers after protests.

The European Union suspended efforts to ratify the treaty in February amid a storm of protest from activists who say the agreement would stifle free speech and access to information. Thousands demonstrated across the EU against giving big firms the power to ban people from using the Internet for illegally swapping files. Twenty-two countries in the bloc signed up to the agreement, with a vote on its ratification due this summer in Brussels.

The US, most of the EU, Australia, Canada, Japan and several other countries have signed the ACTA treaty, but none of these signatories' parliaments have yet ratified it. This last step would make the agreement viable. As soon as ACTA is ratified by any six nations, the convention will come into force.

Dead on arrival? Dutch Parliament kills ACTA before EU vote — RT

Related: http://www.alipac.us/f19/10-failed-a...0/#post1285471

Hydra’s new head: Copyright activists in panic over CETA

Published: 10 July, 2012, 20:58



The fight might not be over. (Reuters/Thomas Peter)

Less than a week has passed since ACTA was defeated by a comprehensive vote in the European parliament. But some copyright activists believe its provisions may get in through the backdoor via the CETA treaty.

­The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is a wide-ranging set of agreements between the EU and Canada. Only a small part of it concerns intellectual property, but this part appears to have been lifted from the drafts of ACTA, often word-for-word, as has been revealed by a leak of unpublished treaty protocols.

“The European Commission strategy appears to be to use CETA as the new ACTA, burying its provisions in a broader Canadian trade agreement with the hope that the European Parliament accepts the same provisions it just rejected with the ACTA framework,” claims Michael Geist, a Canadian law professor, on his website.

Geist quotes dozens of identical passages in ACTA and CETA. ACTA – the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement – was meant to fight intellectual property theft in the age of rapid technological progress.

Although initially accepted by individual countries with little public consultation, it provoked mass demonstrations across Europe by citizens concerned about governments’ increased surveillance, a decline in privacy and a stifling of free enterprise that could result from the application of the law.

Last Wednesday ACTA was voted down 478 against 39 in the European Parliament.

CETA itself has not yet gone before the EU parliament, but will have to go through it and then be ratified by individual EU members before it can come into force.

Not everyone shares Geist’s concerns.

Rick Falkvinge, the founder of Sweden’s Pirate Party, told RT that the text in the leaked documents dates back to February 2012, when ACTA was still on-course for swift passage through Europe’s legislative assembly. Thus, the text is not a new backdoor initiative, but an artefact.

He also believes that the EU parliament would not risk smuggling ACTA under a new name so soon.

“This is a politically very risky manoeuvre, given the decisive rejection of ACTA, and the Commission is quite smart and suave, so I doubt they would bet any further prestige in getting intellectual property rights to override civil liberties and fundamental rights, no matter what the cost,” he said to RT.

Falkvinge believes that part of the treaty on intellectual property will be heavily re-worked or dropped altogether to save CETA as a whole.
Yet activist Jeremie Zimmermann urges vigilance, noting that only an intense campaign of public pressure put ACTA to the sword. And while the European Parliament rejected it, other bodies of the EU still insist that the legislation is beneficial.

“The role of the European Commission must be questioned, and the Members of the European Parliament – the only democratic institution of the three in the EU – must play a crucial role here to counter this takeover of public policy by a few industry lobbies and technocrats.”
Zimmermann says that even if CETA is shorn of its ACTA imitation, future copyright disputes are inevitable.

“There are no doubts that there will be more attempts to push again for the very same repressive policies,” he said in an interview with RT

Hydra

http://www.alipac.us/f19/ceta-hydra%...6/#post1292424

NAFTA on Steroids:

While the Occupy movement has forced a public discussion of extreme corporate influence on every aspect of our lives, behind closed doors corporate America is implementing a stealth strategy to formalize its rule in a truly horrifying manner. The mechanism is the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Negotiations have been conducted in extreme secrecy, so you are in good company if you ha...ve never heard of it. But the thirteenth round of negotiations between the United States and eight Pacific Rim nations will be held in San Diego in early July.

The TPP has been cleverly misbranded as a trade agreement (yawn) by its corporate boosters. As a result, since George W. Bush initiated negotiations in 2008, it has cruised along under the radar. The Obama administration initially paused the talks, ostensibly to develop a new approach compatible with candidate Obama’s pledges to replace the old NAFTA-based trade model. But by late 2009, talks restarted just where Bush had left off.

Since then, US negotiators have proposed new rights for Big Pharma and pushed into the text aspects of the Stop Online Piracy Act, which would limit Internet freedom, despite the derailing of SOPA in Congress earlier this year thanks to public activism. In June a text of the TPP investment chapter was leaked, revealing that US negotiators are even pushing to expand NAFTA’s notorious corporate tribunals, which have been used to attack domestic public interest laws. NAFTA on Steroids | The Nation#
_________

Most of the negotiating materials are kept secret from the public, but not from the official corporate advisors who are pushing hard for a "NAFTA of the Pacific.” While the majority of Americans are barred from knowing what's taking place in negotiations, approximately 600 corporate representatives have been named "cleared advisors," giving them regular access. This secrecy prevents a meaningful public debate about the consequences of the TPP agreement. Economics for the Earth Blog
________

Why you should care about the TPP: The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement