IF YOU AREN’T AFRAID OF CISPA, YOU AREN’T PAYING ATTENTION

Anonymous have called for web content providers to blackout their sites today to protest the US senate’s approval of CISPA.  Many people in and outside the US still have no idea what CISPA is, or what implications it has for their lives.  Today, we look at CISPA: if you aren’t worried, you aren’t paying attention.

The Cyber Information Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) allows internet service providers and sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google to share its users private information with federal security agencies and ‘private sector entities’ (SEC3, a1), without legal reprisal.

Supporters claim the bill is intended to allow security and private agencies tackle cyber threats. Opponents of the bill argue it creates a legal framework for the websites we love to become government spies for private interests.  Sadly, the opponents of the bill are right.

Opposition of the Bill is critical for those who care about the privacy of their personal information.

The Electronic Foundation’s Mark Jaycox set out the most concerning provisions of the bill (emphasis added) in an open discussion on reddit:

“Companies have new rights to monitor user actions and share data – including potentially sensitive user data – with the government without a warrant.

CISPA overrides existing privacy law, and grants broad immunities to participating companies.

Information provided to the federal government under CISPA would be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and other state laws that could otherwise require disclosure (unless some law other than CISPA already requires its provision to the government).

CISPA’s authors argue that the bill contains limitations on how the federal government can use and disclose information by permitting lawsuits against the government. But if a company sends information about a user that is not cyberthreat information, the government agency does not notify the user, only the company”

READ MORE