Does the fact that companies like Facebook, Microsoft, IBM, and Intel mean that CISPA is the friendly, less intrusive version of SOPA or are these companies supporting the bill for reasons not related to intellectual property? Actually, in regards to many of the companies supporting CISPA, are doing so not for the IP protection; instead, a company like Facebook is praising the bill for the improvements it offers to the world of cybersecurity.
A quote from Facebook’s letter of support indicates as much:
Effective security requires private and public sector cooperation, and successful cooperation necessitates information sharing. Your legislation removes burdensome rules that currently can inhibit protection of the cyber ecosystem, and helps provide a more established structure for sharing within the cyber community while still respecting the privacy rights and expectations of our users.
While an admirable position, should better cybersecurity bills come with loopholes to shutdown intellectual property infringers, all in the name of national security? Because that’s what’s happening. The following infographic, courtesy of LuminConsulting.com, highlights some important issues about CISPA we, the people, should be informed about.
This includes the threat to piracy it constitutes, the fact that CISPA may be in direct violation with the 4th Amendment, and how it gives companies the right to disregard your privacy at will. But hey, as long as CISPA improves cybersecurity, it’s all good, right? At least according the aforementioned companies.
With that in mind, here are some reasons to oppose CISPA:
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While there are other well-known companies on the list of CISPA supporters, the one that stands out the most, at least to Internet users, is Facebook. Does their support of such a bill cause you to consider bailing on Zuckerberg’s prolific creation, or does the fact that all of your Farmville-playing friends still use Facebook allow you to turn a blind eye to such things?
Let us know what you think.