The Cybersecurity Intelligence Security Protections Act, otherwise known as CISPA, is a bill that, even though supported by the present administration, was shot down in the Senate by a vote of 52-46. The reasoning for the failure were the differences of opinion over privacy issues, but in an odd turn of events, the cloture debate was called after a discussion over an abortion amendment. Obama made a statement expressing his displeasure at the failure of the bill, and firmly suggested that something of this nature must be done before Congress went on the campaign trail.
Political analysts have picked up on the statement and said that Obama could be signaling that he is either considering, or prepared already, to use his Executive Order (EO) privilege to issue an EO to accomplish the same thing that CISPA would have accomplished. And the privacy advocates have picked upon that, some saying that if an EO is issued, it could possibly be worse in the privacy protection area than the original it would be designed to replace. Plus, they argue, he did pass the NDAA, and an order earlier this year, handing over complete control of all forms of communication, including the internet, radio, and television, to the Department of Homeland Security.
The EO has been used by US Presidents since 1789, and the order has the same force as law. According to the Wikipedia entry, the EO, "are typically made in pursuance of certain Acts of Congress, some of which specifically delegate to the President some degree of discretionary power (delegated legislation), or are believed to take authority from a power granted directly to the Executive by the Constitution." And as of August 14th of this year, he has issued at least 135 EOs. Many say that the EO should carry less emphasis than a Congressionally passed law, as the citizen population is never consulted when EOs are considered by a President.
"Even though an EO similar to CISPA is still purely speculation, there is the possibility," one security and privacy expert, Michael Maxstead, says. He also claims that the buzz in the Usenet, Torrent, and many file sharing communities, is all about the possibility, and what these people would do to further protect their privacy. Some, though few, claim that encrypted proxies would suffice for them, and a few others are already using TOR, a highly specialized proxy service, but most experts on the subject of privacy are saying that the best possible way to protect your privacy is personal VPN services combined with only the best 256 bit encryption protocols.
Whether or not the President issues an order of this nature is irrelevant. "What is abundantly clear though is that the US government is intent on getting as much information on what Americans are saying and doing on the internet," says Maxstead. As the attempts increase in frequency and tenacity, he touts, more and more US citizens are turning to privacy and cloaking technologies to protect what privacy they feel remains to them.
Fields Marshall is a specialist in internet security, and advises many people and enterprises on VPN's, security related technologies, and other related services. He writes educational articles for VPNReviewz to learn more, visit http://vpnreviewz.com/best-vpn-service-providers/
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