Tech America 113011
Tech America 113011
TechAmerica 601 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 600, North Building Washington, DC 20004 P 202.682.9110
November 30, 2011 The Honorable Mike Rogers Chairman House Intelligence Committee Capitol Visitor Center HVC-304 US Capitol Building Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger Ranking Member House Intelligence Committee 2453 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 RE: Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 Dear Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Ruppersberger: On behalf of TechAmericas more than 1,000 member companies, Im writing in support of the introduction of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011. TechAmerica has long supported passage of legislation that eliminates the challenges to information sharing without creating an undue burden on both the intelligence community and the private sector. We commend your efforts to enhance information sharing mechanisms between the government and the private sector in order to address todays escalating cyber threats. Protecting cyberspace is a shared responsibility as cyber threats are not isolated to the private or public sector. Therefore, improving and extending information sharing between private industry and the government is necessary to better protect our nations digital infrastructure and respond to the latest, evolving cyber threats. The framework proposed in the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 will move industry and government in the right direction on sharing timely and actionable information to protect ourselves from cyber attacks. Specifically, the inclusion of liability protections for the sharing and use of shared information is a critical component that we deem necessary in order to facilitate information sharing. Furthermore, we support the voluntary participation approach that is taken by your legislation. As this legislation comes before the House Intelligence Committee, we request that you consider implementing the following concepts into the final version of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 :
Ensure that all industry participants have input into the Department of National Intelligence implementation plan outlined in Section 2;
TechAmerica Comment Letter Cyber Intelligence and Sharing Act of 2011 November 29, 2011 Page |2
Provide additional clarity on how security clearances are handled, information is shared and handled, and how data retention is impacted in the classified and unclassified environments; Bolster the ability for government and industry representatives with appropriate clearances to jointly review and analyze incidents and intelligence and to jointly prepare credible, actionable, sanitized products that can be shared and used more broadly; and Determine and collaborate on developing guidelines for how, when and with whom information can be shared both externally and within a government agency or a private entity and the legal protections associated with those guidelines.
Again, we applaud the effort that has been put forward by you and your staff in support of this long-time, critical goal by the private sector to enhance information sharing efforts with the U.S. government on cyber threats. TechAmerica appreciates the attention and skillful work that you have invested to address this important issue. Thank you for your consideration of our views. We look forward to working with you and your staff on this important proposal as it moves forward in Congress. Sincerely,