House Passes Overbroad Cybersecurity Legislation

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WASHINGTON – The House today passed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), a bill that would allow companies to share private and sensitive information with the government without a warrant and without proper oversight. CISPA also gives companies the authority to share that information with the National Security Agency or other element of the Department of Defense. The Obama administration issued a veto threat on CISPA earlier this week.

“CISPA goes too far for little reason,” said Michelle Richardson, ACLU legislative counsel. “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.”