American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has opposed the newest Internet supervision bill, Cyber Intelligence Sharing & Protection Act (CISPA), saying it is absolutely the wrong answer to the question of keeping computers safe.
CISPA will allow Internet-related companies such as Internet Service Providers, carriers, and social networks to share user information with the government agencies without seeking a court order.
While supports like Facebook, Intel, AT&T, and Verizon are claiming that CISPA would help secure computers by sharing cyber-Intelligence with the government, ACLU and groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) argue that it could expose user’s sensitive information to government agencies.
Lambasting the bill, Mandy Simon of the ACLU said, “Keeping our computer systems secure is a real concern, but CISPA is absolutely the wrong answer.”
Mandy added that the bill would create a big loophole in all of the existing privacy laws, and would allow companies like Facebook and Google to share users’ data with spy agencies.
Rainey Reitman of the EFF stressed that they do not want promises from companies like Facebook; instead, they want powerful laws to protect Internet users’ privacy.
