CISPA: Cybersecurity bill stumbles in Senate
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) will not likely make it to President Obama's desk, according to recent reports that the controversial cybersecurity bill has stalled in the Senate.
CISPA is a cybersecurity bill that has sparked controversy because language in its current draft suggests that companies like Facebook, Google and Twitter, share information with the federal government without a warrant.
According to U.S. News & World Reports, a representative of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation has stated that the Senate will not likely vote on CISPA, but will draft its own cybersecurity bill. The news magazine reports that committee chairman Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va has said passing the cybersecurity bill is "important," but CISPA's "privacy protections are insufficient."
A committee aide told CNET that Rockefeller does not believe the Senate will take up the bill. A staffer also told the Huffington Post "the Senate will note take up CISPA."
Supporters of CISPA say it is not meant to infringe on the privacy of Americans, and argue that the bill is important for national security, while privacy advocates say it's a threat to the privacy of Internet users
CISPA passed in the House of Representatives on April 18, with a vote of 288-127. The president said he would veto the bill if it crosses his desk without additional improvements, citing privacy concerns. It's unclear how the Senate will vote on the bill. According to The Hill, a similar cybersecurity bill last year stalled in the Senate because of differences among senators.
