So, I'll explain what this is in a bit, but first off let me say that [b]it does not matter whether or not you do not conduct in malicious activity online. This is an obstruction of personal privacy. Personal privacy is an inalienable human right,[/b] and this bill is helping the government slip by it quietly, without directly saying, "sup bro, we're just trying to gain full legal ability to invade your life and do whatever we want with this information, and don't worry, we don't even need to get your consent! We got you covered m8." [b][i][u]What is CISA?[/u][/i][/b] [quote] From: [url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-quick-guide-to-the-senate-s-newly-passed-cybersecurity-bill/]Scientific American:[/url] The bill calls for government agencies, businesses and other organizations to share information about cybersecurity threats with one another. The thinking is that this shared information will help these different groups better prepare themselves to identify and defend against hackers trying to steal information from their computers. However, CISA in its current form does not clearly define how this information would be shared, who would manage such information or how it would be disseminated. [/quote] [b][i][u]Why should I be concerned?[/u][/i][/b] [quote] From: [url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-quick-guide-to-the-senate-s-newly-passed-cybersecurity-bill/]Scientific American:[/url] Sen. Wyden and others have called CISA a “surveillance bill,” arguing that the NSA and other government agencies could use information shared by companies to spy on their customers. Critics say that the process of passing customer information to government agencies or other third parties creates new opportunities for data to be stolen. They also argue that the bill fails to address the real reasons hackers are able to steal data—including outdated software, malware and unencrypted files—and that because information sharing would be voluntary, a lack of participants could undermine the program. --- The Senate rejected three separate amendments that at least attempted to remove data that could identify individuals before sharing customer information, when that information is not necessary to describe or identify a cyber threat.* Earlier amendments gave participating companies legal protections from antitrust and consumer privacy lawsuits. And the government claims that information it receives will not be used to prosecute non-cyber related crimes. [/quote] [quote] From: [url=http://www.wired.com/2015/10/cisa-cybersecurity-information-sharing-act-passes-senate-vote-with-privacy-flaws/?mbid=social_twitter]wired[/url] Privacy advocates and civil liberties groups see CISA as a free pass that allows companies to monitor users and share their information with the government without a warrant, while offering a backdoor that circumvents any laws that might protect users’ privacy. “The incentive and the framework it creates is for companies to quickly and massively collect user information and ship it to the government,” says Mark Jaycox, a legislative analyst for the civil liberties group the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “As soon as you do, you obtain broad immunity, even if you’ve violated privacy law.” The version of CISA passed Tuesday, in fact, spells out that any broadly defined “cybersecurity threat” information gathered can be shared “notwithstanding any other provision of law.” Privacy advocates consider that a vague and potentially reckless exemption in the protections of Americans’ personal information. “Every law is struck down for the purposes of this information sharing: financial privacy, electronic communications privacy, health privacy, none of it would matter,” says Robyn Greene, policy counsel for the Open Technology Institute. “That’s a dangerous road to go down.”[/quote] I urge everyone to get education on this situation, and understand that this is an obstruction of privacy, a government working towards the destruction of individual privacy and prosperity. The greatest threat to national security is not the political swamp in the middle east, it is right here in the U.S. and in the form of inalienable rights being stripped from us and masqueraded as security measures. More info:[spoiler] http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-quick-guide-to-the-senate-s-newly-passed-cybersecurity-bill/ http://www.wired.com/2015/10/cisa-cybersecurity-information-sharing-act-passes-senate-vote-with-privacy-flaws/?mbid=social_twitter http://www.decidethefuture.org http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/27/cisa-cybersecurity-bill-senate-vote[/spoiler] Discuss.