Senate Opens Up Discussion on Hotly Debated Cybersecurity Bill

Bill would enable corporations and the government to share information that could help thwart cyberattacks.

The U.S. Senate has opened up the debate on a bill that would make it easier for corporations to share information about cyberattacks with each other or the government without concern about lawsuits, according to a Reuters report.

Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate “intends to pass the cybersecurity bill” by early next week.

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The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act was passed by the House of Representatives in April with strong support from both parties. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has also backed the legislation as it believes it will allow companies and the government to share information that could help prevent cyberattacks similar to those against Sony Pictures Entertainment, Target and Anthem, according to the report.

However, the bill is being contested by major corporations. The Computer and Communications Industry Association — a trade group representing Facebook, Google and other tech companies — says it opposes the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) as it is currently written. Twitter echoed those sentiments.

Tech companies say the bill fails to protect users’ privacy and doesn’t do enough to hold off cyberattacks.

Republican Senator Rand Paul and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden have also come out against it.

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