Brandon Moss (Archived Bio)

One step closer: USA FREEDOM Act moves US toward greater compliance with human rights law

In response to stories in the New York Times, ProPublica, and the Guardian that the National Security Agency (“NSA”) was undermining encryption standards, The Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT) released a report that called for increased transparency and internal expertise at the National Institute for Standards and Technologies (“NIST”). The VCAT reviews and makes recommendations regarding general policy for the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The VCAT formed a Committee of Visitors (“COV”) in mid-April to review the relationship between NIST and the NSA.

The Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Terror held a Hearing on Taking Down Botnets: Public and Private Efforts to Disrupt and Dismantle Cybercriminal Networks.

Access and a coalition of digital rights groups, companies, and security experts submitted a letter to U.S. President Obama urging him to pledge to veto the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), and any other bill that includes similar provisions that would hurt our basic right to privacy.

CISA and CISPA propose information sharing to thwart cybersecurity threats, but instead increases surveillance and harm whistleblowers.