The US House of Representatives has voted in favor of the 2013 revision of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) bill. The proposed legislation passed 287-to-127, widening the margin from the 248-to-168 House vote in 2012 for the initial version, however the bill is nonetheless expected to encounter more resistance in the Senate and a possible presidential veto.
The core principles of CISPA remain unchanged from the original edition, focusing on information sharing between private companies and government agencies. The language is specifically related to Internet and technology threats, such as malicious software and hacking attacks.
Proponents argue that such legislation is necessary to protect against cyber attacks, quickly providing relevant data to enforcement agencies tasked with responding to threats. Critics claim the language ignores existing privacy guarantees and lacks oversight, enabling agencies to collect a broad range of personal data about law-abiding users.
After passing the 2012 House vote, the initial bill did not make it to a floor vote in the Senate. It remains unclear if the 2013 bill will face the same fate, though the White House has yet again implied that President Obama is willing to block it if it passes.
