The controversial cyber-security law Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act( CISPA) has passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a large majority. Despite that, the law has little future, President Obama announced a veto.
With a majority of 288 votes against 127, the law was passed by the House of Representatives. Several amendments to the law which should have ensured privacy have not survived the vote.
The law has yet to be adopted by the U.S. Senate but it's unlikely it will pass. Last year the Senate voted against the law which has now been submitted in a modified form. Should the Senate do agree with the law, President Obama has announced that he will veto it. According to him, the law is bad for privacy.
The CISPA-law makes it possible for companies to share information about IT security with the U.S. government. Critics fear that companies will also share data of their customers with the government, although according the law they are not obliged to do so. The law contains a passage that circumvents existing legislation, including privacy laws. Companies that support the law include most technology giants like Apple, AT&T, Facebook, Intel, IBM, Symantec, Google and Microsoft.
Companies are supporting CISPA mainly because it transfers the pressure to regulate users off the private company to a government entity. This means that it protects companies from being sued if they break their Terms of Service to hand over user information in case that's considered a threat to cyber security. For example if one company is attacked, it can share information about that attack and help other companies to protect themselves. The concern is that companies will share sensitive personal information with the government in the name of protecting cyber-security.
