Controversial Cybersecurity Bill Clears Senate In Bipartisan Vote

Source: Reuters

Posted: 10/27/2015 05:26 PM EDT

By Dustin Volz

WASHINGTON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate easily passed legislation on Tuesday aimed at bolstering the country's cyber defenses, advancing the first serious attempt in Congress to combat computer hacks that have hit a growing number of businesses and government agencies in recent years.

The bill, which would expand liability protections to companies that choose to voluntarily share cyber-threat data with the government, must be reconciled with two similar information-sharing measures that passed the House of Representatives earlier this year. It cleared the Senate by a vote of 74-21 with strong bipartisan support.

The White House announced support last week for the Senate bill, although it stated a desire for some revisions before it lands on President Barack Obama's desk.

The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, or CISA, is a proposal that languished in the Senate for several years partly because of privacy groups' concerns it would shuttle more personal information into the hands of the National Security Agency and other government spies.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/controversial-cybersecurity-bill-clears-senate-in-bipartisan-vote_562fe3b6e4b00aa54a4baeb9