The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act is gaining support in the House of Representatives. Sponsored by Representative Mike Rogers (R-MI), the Act, a surveillance bill, removes any legal barriers that prevent private Internet companies from giving all your information, communications and data to the government. The Act allows the Department of Homeland Security to pressure or shut down “cyber entities” like ISP’s and social networks if they refuse to hand over information the government wants, effectively ignoring any Internet privacy laws.
However, the language of the Act is vague. If the government took measures to shut down a site like Wikileaks, it could also take down sites that publish Wikileaks-like information. Furthermore, private companies can intercept your communications, send copies to each other and the government and prevent the information from being sent if it is part of a plan to stop “cybersecurity” threats.
The problem is, cybersecurity is not actually defined in the Act. The government is allowed into any online communication if they have reason to suspect a cyber crime or a threat of IP theft.
Unlike SOPA, this Act has the backing of 28 corporations.
Visit the EFF if you want to tell your representative you are opposed to the Act.
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