POGO and Partners Oppose the House Cybersecurity Bill
Dear Representative:
The undersigned organizations dedicated to government openness and accountability are writing to urge you to oppose HR 3523, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011, because it constitutes a wholesale attack on public access to information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
In the interest of encouraging private companies to share cybersecurity threat information, the bill unwisely and unnecessarily cuts off all public access to cyber threat information before the public and Congress have the chance to understand the types of information that are withheld under the bill. Much of the sensitive information private companies are likely to share with the government is already protected from disclosure under the FOIA. Other information that may be shared could be critical for the public to ensure its safety. The public needs access to some information to be able to assess whether the government is adequately combating cybersecurity threats and, when necessary, hold officials accountable.
Any effort to expand of the authority of the federal government to withhold information from the public should begin with careful consideration, including public hearings, by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has jurisdiction over FOIA. That Committee has the expertise needed to ensure that FOIA-related provisions promote transparency and public accountability while allowing the government to withhold only that information which truly requires protection.
We urge you to oppose HR 3523, and we look forward to working with Congress to ensure any cybersecurity legislation passed into law both protects our nation’s computer networks and promotes transparency and accountability to the public. If you would like to discuss these issues further, please contact Patrice McDermott, Executive Director of OpenTheGovernment.org, at 202-332-6736 or [email protected].
Signed by:
- American Association of Law Libraries
- American Association of University Professors
- American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression
- American Library Association
- American Society of News Editors
- Association of Research Libraries
- Bill of Rights Defense Committee
- Center for Media and Democracy
- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington - CREW
- Community Research
- Cyber Privacy Project
- Electronic Frontier Foundation – EFF
- Entertainment Consumers Association
- Essential Information
- Feminists for Free Expression
- Fight for the Future, Center for Rights
- Freedom of Information Center at the Missouri School of Journalism
- Government Accountability Project - GAP
- iSolon.org
- James Madison Project
- Liberty Coalition
- MuckRock
- National Coalition Against Censorship
- National Freedom of Information Coalition
- OMB Watch
- OpenTheGovernment.org
- Project On Government Oversight - POGO
- Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility – PEER
- The Pullins Report
- Reporters Without Borders
- Republican Liberty Caucus
- Rutherford Institute
- Society of American Archivists
- Society of Professional Journalists
- Special Libraries Association
- Sunlight Foundation
- Understanding Government
- US Bill of Rights Foundation
- Utah Foundation for Open Government
- Washington Coalition for Open Government
- Individuals (additional information for identification purposes only)
- Brian R. Hook
- Editor, B.R. Hook and Missouri Journal
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