Congress Cybersecurity & Tech

Groundhog Day in the Senate

Paul Rosenzweig
Friday, March 13, 2015, 4:18 PM
One of my favorite movies has always been Bill Murray's Groundhog Day.  Besides the great acting from Murray (and co-star Andie MacDowell) it's a wonderful exposition of the definition of insanity -- doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. By that definition, you have to wonder about the sanity of the Senate when it comes to information sharing and cybersecurity.  Don't get me wrong -- unlike the privacy critics I think that

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One of my favorite movies has always been Bill Murray's Groundhog Day.  Besides the great acting from Murray (and co-star Andie MacDowell) it's a wonderful exposition of the definition of insanity -- doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. By that definition, you have to wonder about the sanity of the Senate when it comes to information sharing and cybersecurity.  Don't get me wrong -- unlike the privacy critics I think that Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 would be a decent bill to enact.  A modest improvement in security and no real threat to civil liberties, just as last year's version was.  And, clearly, the Intelligence Committee agrees, having passed the bill out of Committee by a vote of 14-1 over the objections of Senator Wyden. And maybe, just maybe, the change in party majority in the Senate will change the result this time around.  It seems clear that the parallel bill in the House will be able, again, to pass that chamber.  So maybe CISA will succeed this time around.  But color me skeptical.

Paul Rosenzweig is the founder of Red Branch Consulting PLLC, a homeland security consulting company and a Senior Advisor to The Chertoff Group. Mr. Rosenzweig formerly served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Department of Homeland Security. He is a Professorial Lecturer in Law at George Washington University, a Senior Fellow in the Tech, Law & Security program at American University, and a Board Member of the Journal of National Security Law and Policy.

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