Did Your Congressman Vote to End Your Privacy Online?

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The U.S. House has approved a measure that opponents say could mean the end to your privacy on the Internet (and off).

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, more commonly known as CISPA, was passed in a 288-127 vote in the House. Michigan Republican Rep. Mike Rogers re-introduced the bill after it was passed by the House but voted down in the Senate last year.

According to supporters, CISPA would allow sites like Google or Facebook, potentially, to share data from private users to the government in an effort to thwart cyberterrorism. But, this fact alone, opponents say, could be an assault on the Fourth Amendment–the right to unreasonable search and seizure.

With today’s passage, warrants would no longer be necessary for police, the FBI and other authorities to search Internet databases for any sign of wrongdoing, according to CNET. That is, of course, if the Senate passes the bill.

Opponents also say CISPA would negatively affect Internet users in a variety of other ways, including:

Giving companies the right to monitor all your actions online and to share that data at any time.
Protecting companies from liability in sharing your personal information.
Making this information exempt from Freedom of Information Act and other disclosure laws, making it impossible for the media and you to find out what sort of private data is being shared.
No requirement by the government or the company to share when your data has been forwarded to the government.

What’s Next with CISPA

The bill will now go to the Senate (remember government class?) for passage, but that will require a visit to a committee first and a lot of red tape. But, just as the bill came up for a vote in 2012, CISPA might also see voting action in 2013.

Whether you like the bill or not, you can contact your state’s senators to share your thoughts with them. Last year, thousands of people contacted their senators, which resulted in a filibuster–a last ditch effort–to ensure CISPA did not pass. This year, according to sources, the bill could pass.

A number of major companies are in support of the bill, including AT&T, IBM, Intel, Oracle Corporation, Symantec, Verizon and even Google, albeit not publicly. Daily Dot reports Google and Yahoo executives have put their money where their mouth is, funding lobbying efforts at Congress.

Meanwhile, a number of grassroots (read: people-driven) campaigns have bubbled up against CISPA, including efforts by Demand Progress.

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How Your Congressman Voted on CISPA

Want to find out how your Congressional representatives voted on CISPA? While you can check out the CISPA vote record on GovTrack, we’ve got the Texas delegation’s votes right here. (Houston-area representatives are in red). Don’t know who represents you? Find your congressman here.

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