CISPA Cyber Security Law Faces Apathy In Senate


CISPA, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, passed the US House of Representatives last week in the wake of the horrific Boston Marathon bombing, but it faces significant hurdles in the Senate.

The bipartisan bill proposed by Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) and Mike Rogers (R-MI) allows private businesses as well as government agencies to share real-time information in order to prevent cyber attacks.

Not everyone likes the idea, saying that the bill in its current form doesn’t do enough to protect the privacy of innocent users. 30,000 websites have teamed up to express their opposition to the bill, including popular sites like Reddit and Craigslist.

The House vote may be a case of legislators wanting to look like they’re doing something even though they know that CISPA has little chance of passing the Senate. Even if it does squeak through, earlier in the month, the White House hinted that President Obama would veto the bill in its current form.

That statement can’t be too shocking to CISPA proponents since Obama has already vetoed a similar version just last year.

Supporters of the bill have spent $84 million to lobby for CISPA’s passage.

Nonetheless, the Senate hasn’t debated CISPA and seems to consider it a low priority compared to gun control and immigration issues currently facing the nation in the wake of the Newton shooting and the Boston bombing.

With an apathetic Senate unlikely to address the bill, internet users feel safe in ignoring the question. Activist group Anonymous recently asked for an Internet blackout to protest CISPA passage in the House.

You notice how many sites went dark to support the idea? Me neither.

With the White House opposed and the Senate busy with more pressing matters, nobody’s losing any sleep over the possible passage of CISPA.

[Washington D.C. Capitol Building photo courtesy Architect of the Capitol via Wikipedia Commons]

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