r/CISPA

420 archived posts · Apr 2012 – Jun 2025

SOPA/PIPA's Big Brother

r/CISPA

A meeting place to discuss new changes to CISPA bills, and to discuss the impact such legislature may have.

Created Apr 5, 2012

405Members (last snapshot)

420Archived posts

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (aka. HR 3523, HR 624 or CISPA) is another attempt by US Congress to assault the Internet. Under the guise of being necessary in America’s war against cyberattacks, the bill represents a clear assault not only on the right to a free and open internet, but an attack on the freedom of speech and privacy of all US citizens on the internet.

The new bill, found here, keeps most of the language from the original CISPA bill, with some minor adjustments.

For a short and sweet ELI5-version of CISPA...

CISPA creates a way for the US Government and companies like Facebook, Google and others to share information with the US Government, as well as each other. It also includes laws making it illegal to share information with people that shouldn’t know (what Bradley Manning did), to share that information among others that shouldn’t know (what WikiLeaks does), and allows for companies to trade personal information without getting in trouble. It also allows for the US Government to spy on US citizens, to prosecute people that pirate movies, games or music, and does all of this without telling you. You will also never know it’s happening.

The extreme version is people violating CISPA can be labeled "domestic terrorists" through a combination of CISPA and the Patriot Act, which is what the US Government really wants to do to Anonymous.

Many companies (nearly all that support CISPA, actually) stand to make money from this Act - new companies will be hired by every company on the internet for "cybersecurity," as well as by the US Government, and everyone from internet providers to social networking sites will make money from the trading of information. This is why there are so few companies fighting CISPA, and more reason for us citizens to protect our freedoms and liberties from "Big Brother."

You can find a guide to the bill here

Part 1 - Section 1 and 2.

Part 2 - Section 3 - (a) through (c).

Part 3 - Section 3 - (d) through Section 7.

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