The House of Representatives passed the controversial CISPA cyber-threat bill late April 26, despite worries from civil liberties advocates that it threatens the privacy of Internet users and threats from the Obama Administration to veto it.
The House was expected to debate CISPA–Cyber-Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act–April 26 and vote on it the following day. However, representatives passed an amended version of the bill 248-168, sending it on its way to the Senate. The Senate already has worked up its own cyber-security legislation, but that reportedly has stalled.
CISPA would make it easier for government agencies and private businesses to share information regarding cyber-threats. Several top-tier tech companies, including AT&T, Facebook, Microsoft and Intel, have come out in support of the bill, arguing that the bill would make it easier for them to combat cyber-attacks and make the Internet safer for all users.
The bill also got the support of trade associations, including TechAmerica and CTIA.
However, a host of other tech organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) as well as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have come out against the measure, saying it would give government agencies too much access to the private information of Internet users, including email messages and other personal data. Tim Berners-Lee, the man credited with inventing the Internet and a staunch advocate for a free and open Web, said earlier this month that that CISPA not only puts U.S. citizens at risk, but also people around the world.
The legislation is threatening the rights of people in America, and effectively rights everywhere, because what happens in America tends to affect people all over the world, Berners-Lee told the British newspaper the Guardian.
Opponents–who earlier this month had encouraged protests via the Internet in hopes of spiking the bill, as happened with Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA)–criticized the House after CISPA was passed.
“CISPA goes too far for little reason,” ACLU legislative counsel Michelle Richardson said in a statement late April 26. “Cybersecurity does not have to mean abdication of Americans’ online privacy. As we ve seen repeatedly, once the government gets expansive national security authorities, there s no going back. We encourage the Senate to let this horrible bill fade into obscurity.”
To read the original eWeek article, click here: CISPA Cyber-Threat Bill Passes House Despite Worries Over Privacy
