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Facebook Incorporated is once again facing criticism from internet freedom and privacy advocates, this time for deception on their lobbying activities related to the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA). CISA is the latest iteration of a long legislative effort by the government and various corporate interests to destroy legal privacy protections for internet users.
Previous versions of CISA such as SOPA and PIPA were ultimately defeated in Congress after public outrage and opposition from an alliance of powerful tech firms scared politicians off.
According to Fight For The Future, though the multi-billion dollar social networking site claims publicly to oppose it, Facebook is working behind the scenes to get CISA passed. In other words, Facebook is doing some things in private it does not want everyone to know about.
The value of CISA to Facebook, as Fight For The Future notes, is that the current version of the bill gives legal immunity to companies such as Facebook for violating privacy laws as long as the company shares information with the government. A get out of jail and civil lawsuit free card for a company constantly dealing with legal issues for its privacy practices.
Under CISA, as long as Facebook cuts the government in on the action it can violate user privacy and face no accountability for it, at least in the US. So it would not be a surprise if the company was trying to see CISA enacted, Facebook has a direct interest in getting the legal immunity contained in the bill.
The national security state's interest in CISA is not hard to decipher, either. If CISA becomes law, much of the domestic spying performed by the NSA and other agencies has stronger legal ground to stand on. CISA also facilitates increased collaboration between private companies with the legal immunity provision that will allow companies like Facebook, Verizon, Google, and AT&T to violate their users privacy without having to worry about legal consequences.
With no check from the users, those companies will primarily face trouble from the government for not complying with secret orders. CISA could be a fatal blow to what remains of privacy rights online.
Fight For The Future has launched a petition to ask Facebook to "come clean" on their CISA lobbying.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Facebook Incorporated is once again facing criticism from internet freedom and privacy advocates, this time for deception on their lobbying activities related to the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA). CISA is the latest iteration of a long legislative effort by the government and various corporate interests to destroy legal privacy protections for internet users.
Previous versions of CISA such as SOPA and PIPA were ultimately defeated in Congress after public outrage and opposition from an alliance of powerful tech firms scared politicians off.
According to Fight For The Future, though the multi-billion dollar social networking site claims publicly to oppose it, Facebook is working behind the scenes to get CISA passed. In other words, Facebook is doing some things in private it does not want everyone to know about.
The value of CISA to Facebook, as Fight For The Future notes, is that the current version of the bill gives legal immunity to companies such as Facebook for violating privacy laws as long as the company shares information with the government. A get out of jail and civil lawsuit free card for a company constantly dealing with legal issues for its privacy practices.
Under CISA, as long as Facebook cuts the government in on the action it can violate user privacy and face no accountability for it, at least in the US. So it would not be a surprise if the company was trying to see CISA enacted, Facebook has a direct interest in getting the legal immunity contained in the bill.
The national security state's interest in CISA is not hard to decipher, either. If CISA becomes law, much of the domestic spying performed by the NSA and other agencies has stronger legal ground to stand on. CISA also facilitates increased collaboration between private companies with the legal immunity provision that will allow companies like Facebook, Verizon, Google, and AT&T to violate their users privacy without having to worry about legal consequences.
With no check from the users, those companies will primarily face trouble from the government for not complying with secret orders. CISA could be a fatal blow to what remains of privacy rights online.
Fight For The Future has launched a petition to ask Facebook to "come clean" on their CISA lobbying.
Facebook Incorporated is once again facing criticism from internet freedom and privacy advocates, this time for deception on their lobbying activities related to the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA). CISA is the latest iteration of a long legislative effort by the government and various corporate interests to destroy legal privacy protections for internet users.
Previous versions of CISA such as SOPA and PIPA were ultimately defeated in Congress after public outrage and opposition from an alliance of powerful tech firms scared politicians off.
According to Fight For The Future, though the multi-billion dollar social networking site claims publicly to oppose it, Facebook is working behind the scenes to get CISA passed. In other words, Facebook is doing some things in private it does not want everyone to know about.
The value of CISA to Facebook, as Fight For The Future notes, is that the current version of the bill gives legal immunity to companies such as Facebook for violating privacy laws as long as the company shares information with the government. A get out of jail and civil lawsuit free card for a company constantly dealing with legal issues for its privacy practices.
Under CISA, as long as Facebook cuts the government in on the action it can violate user privacy and face no accountability for it, at least in the US. So it would not be a surprise if the company was trying to see CISA enacted, Facebook has a direct interest in getting the legal immunity contained in the bill.
The national security state's interest in CISA is not hard to decipher, either. If CISA becomes law, much of the domestic spying performed by the NSA and other agencies has stronger legal ground to stand on. CISA also facilitates increased collaboration between private companies with the legal immunity provision that will allow companies like Facebook, Verizon, Google, and AT&T to violate their users privacy without having to worry about legal consequences.
With no check from the users, those companies will primarily face trouble from the government for not complying with secret orders. CISA could be a fatal blow to what remains of privacy rights online.
Fight For The Future has launched a petition to ask Facebook to "come clean" on their CISA lobbying.