“Industry and businesses will not share sensitive information if it can be used against them. When the private sector offers a helping hand in partnership it expects it to be shaken not slapped,” said Bruce Heiman, Executive Director of ACP.
“In order to protect our critical information infrastructure against electronic attack and disruption, the U.S. Government has called for a true partnership with the private sector and recognizes that it must foster effective information sharing. By promoting the sharing of cybersecurity information, this bill will lead to increased cyber-security throughout those sectors of the economy – such as utilities, banking, communications, transportation, health care and e-commerce – that are increasingly reliant on information technology. This bill helps protect today’s “click and mortar” economy against “click and crumble” threats,” Heiman added.
“This bill will help unlock the potential of the private sector to help with this extremely important national problem. We applaud Congressmen Davis and Moran for their leadership on this issue and we thank the many other co-sponsors,” Heiman said.
The Act promotes information sharing by:
- establishing an FOIA exemption for cybersecurity information shared by companies with the U.S. Government;
- providing antitrust protection for companies sharing cybersecurity information with each other; and
- preventing cybersecurity information shared by companies from being used in lawsuits against those who provide information.
“To solve a problem you have to know that there is a problem. To solve the problem quickly you want to know that someone already has a solution. If not, you want a lot of people working on it — fast. This bill makes it easier for companies to share their cybersecurity problems and their solutions,” added Heiman.
ACP is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 companies, 40 associations and interest groups, and 7000 individuals. ACP was formed to focus on issues at the intersection of electronic information and communications, privacy rights, law enforcement, and national security.
ACP supports policies that promote industry led, market driven solutions to critical information infrastructure protection and opposes government efforts to impose technological mandates or design standards, or to increase widespread monitoring or surveillance. ACP also supports policies that advance the rights of American citizens to encrypt information without fear of government intrusion, and led the private sector fight to lift export restrictions on U.S.-made encryption products.