A coalition of activists representing more than a...
A coalition of activists representing more than a dozen public interest groups and organizations told lawmakers Tuesday they oppose a “dangerous” draft bill aimed at reforming the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), according to a letter sent to the…
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chairmen and ranking members of the House Judiciary Committee and its Crime Subcommittee (http://bit.ly/10w9wIm). “The draft under discussion is a significant expansion of the CFAA at a time when public opinion is demanding the law be narrowed,” the letter said. “It is unreasonable to expand CFAA penalties when the statute already makes illegal so much of what Americans do with computers every day.” The letter was sent to House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.; Ranking Member John Conyers, D-Mich.; Crime Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.; and Ranking Member Bobby Scott, D-Va. Last week Judiciary Committee staffers circulated a discussion draft of the bill which would increase criminal financial penalties and jail time for those found guilty of certain computer crimes (CD March 27 p5). The letter urged committee members to reject the bill or amend it in a way that would “bring the CFAA into the 21st century, with sensible fixes that will protect the ordinary Internet user, while addressing the serious problem of malicious computer attacks.” The groups specifically opposed language in the draft proposal aimed at increasing penalties for many computer violations to 20 years or more imprisonment, and bringing CFAA violations under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the letter said. Among the signatories of the letter were representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Democracy and Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation, TechFreedom, Heritage Foundation, FreedomWorks and Demand Progress, an Internet advocacy group founded by the late activist Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide during his prosecution for CFAA violations. A House Judiciary aide told us the discussion draft of the bill “is just the beginning of the process,” in an email Tuesday. “In fact, this afternoon our staff met with the staff of several of the groups who signed that letter. They had a productive meeting and are continuing to work with us on the discussion draft.”