September, 25 2015, 03:45pm EDT
Facing Public Backlash, Salesforce CEO Backs Away from Pro-CISA Position
Says letter supporting cyber threat sharing legislation was “a mistake” and that he’s “against it”
WASHINGTON
After digital rights group Fight for the Future's YouBetrayedUs.org campaign sparked public outcry and generated more than 23,000 emails and calls for a boycott, the CEO of cloud computing firm Salesforce took to twitter today to clarify that his company does not support CISA, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2015.
CISA is a controversial "cybersecurity" bill that experts say will endanger online privacy and security while failing to stop cyber attacks. Last week, Salesforce and a handful of other companies including Microsoft and Apple signed on to letter sent to Congress by BSA, The Software Alliance. The letter urges "prompt action" by Congress to pass "Cyber Threat Information Sharing Legislation." Given that the Senate is expected to take up CISA soon, and that CISA is the only "Cyber Threat Information Sharing Legislation" being considered, the letter was seen as a clear endorsement of the bill, sparking online outrage.
"The letter clearly was a mistake and doesn't imply CISA support. We need to clarify. I'm against it," Marc Benioff tweeted today. In a separate tweet he clarified, "Contrary to reports, Salesforce doesn't support the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA.)" He also linked to trust.salesforce.com, a page that does not appear to mention CISA or other Salesforce policy positions. Benioff appeared to spend quite a bit of time on twitter this morning, replying to many twitter users who had tweeted about Salesforce's support for misguided cybersecurity legislation.
"We're pleased that Salesforce has issued this correction, ending their support for CISA," said Fight for the Future co-founder Holmes Wilson, "We think this sends a clear message to every other tech company, that their customers care deeply about the political stances they take on legislation that harms privacy, and that CISA's provisions for unchecked corporate / government data sharing are completely unacceptable to Internet users."
"It's great to see the Internet flexing its muscles and showing its power to defend itself once again," said Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future, "Salesforce responding to our boycott by backing away from support for CISA is a huge victory for the rights of Internet users everywhere. Any company that expects its users' trust must clearly and vocally oppose CISA and any bill like it."
Fight for the Future is a group of artists, engineers, activists, and technologists who have been behind the largest online protests in human history, channeling Internet outrage into political power to win public interest victories previously thought to be impossible. We fight for a future where technology liberates -- not oppresses -- us.
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