pachanka:

It’s time to get pissed. The U.S. law that would turn Google, Facebook, and Twitter into legally immune government spies just passed the House.

We expected CISPA to pass; that’s why this spring, we’re going to organize the largest online privacy protest in history to make sure CISPA is gone for good.

And, in response to (Republican) Rep. Mike Rogers’ accusation that CISPA opponents are just “14 year-old tweeter[s] in the basement”, we thought we’d also challenge Rep. Rogers to get on live national television and debate a 14 year-old in a basement on CISPA. The search for the 14 year-old begins. Are you or do you know a 14 year-old who could totally school a congressman on this issue?

This bill affects everyone — not just U.S. citizens. Anyone with a Facebook account could now have their data shipped directly to the U.S. government. That’s why Internet users overwhelmingly oppose this bill. Over 1.5 million people signed petitions against it. But Congress didn’t listen.

Does this remind you of something? Yep, this is the exact position we were in with SOPA last year. Then the Internet rose up and we made history with the SOPA strike.

Join the largest online privacy protest in history to make sure CISPA goes the same route as SOPA and doesn’t become the law that breaks the 4th Amendment. Are you in?

CISPA threatens our most basic rights. Privacy is important not just for our security but for our rights to freedom of expression. The giant tech companies that stood with Internet users against SOPA are not going to help us this time (but some of the large sites like Mozilla, Imgur, and Reddit are all against CISPA and we love them).

Only a massive grassroots outcry will stop this bill. We’re starting to build the tools. But we need your help.

Can you share the flyer below on social media? And tell everyone you know to sign up to join the protest?

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thepeoplesrecord:

U.S. House of Reps shamefully passes CISPA; Internet freedom advocates prepare for battle in the Senate
April 18, 2013

Today, Internet freedom advocates everywhere turned their eyes to the U.S. House of Representatives as that legislative body considered the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act.

For the second year in a row, the House voted to approve CISPA, a bill that would allow companies to bypass all existing privacy law to spy on communications and pass sensitive user data to the government. Electronic Frontier Foundation condemns the vote in the House and vows to continue the fight in the Senate.

“CISPA is a poorly drafted bill that would provide a gaping exception to bedrock privacy law,” EFF Senior Staff Attorney Kurt Opsahl said. “While we all agree that our nation needs to address pressing Internet security issues, this bill sacrifices online privacy while failing to take common-sense steps to improve security.”

The legislation passed 288-127, despite a veto threat from Pres. Barack Obama, who expressed serious concerns about the danger CISPA poses to civil liberties.

“This bill undermines the privacy of millions of Internet users,” said Rainey Reitman, Electronic Frontier Foundation Activism Director. “Hundreds of thousands of Internet users opposed this bill, joining the White House and Internet security experts in voicing concerns about the civil liberties ramifications of CISPA. We’re committed to taking this fight to the Senate and fighting to ensure no law which would be so detrimental to online privacy is passed on our watch.”

Source

Late Internet activist Aaron Swartz called CISPA the Patriot Act of the Internet, saying, “It’s an incredibly broad and dangerous bill. The thing about this bill is it doesn’t really have any protections against cyber threats. All it does is make people share their information. But that’s not going to solve the problem. What’s going to solve the problem is actual security measures, protecting the service in the first place, not spying on people after the fact.”

truth-has-a-liberal-bias:

Congress is Trying to Mess with the Internet, AGAIN

Now is the time for a push on CISPA. Go here and let them help you quickly and easily contact your representatives. In three days they’re going on recess for a week then will come back and vote on the bill, which has been slipped inside another bill with lots of support. Please call your Senator and ask them for a meeting next week to discuss this abysmal bill.

(From: sowingdoubt )

truth-has-a-liberal-bias:

ARE THEY READING WHAT WE BLOG?

~~~

They are just relentless.

Corporations and government agencies are trying to use their influence to get carte-blanche access to our private data.

And if we let CISPA — the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act — become law, that’s exactly what they’ll get — nearly complete access to everything we do online.

Urge your senators to vote NO on CISPA and any other legislation that would let the military collect our private internet records.

CISPA already passed the House. But if we don’t take a stand in the Senate, companies could soon have access to share our sensitive and private information with military agencies, including the National Security Agency.

CISPA effectively allows them to gain access to our personal information without a warrant, without oversight, and without limits, and the Senate may soon vote on proposals that go just as far.

Those are rules we can’t live by. We deserve better privacy laws. And we demand a better bill than CISPA.

We need to make our voices heard: Tell your senators that you oppose any legislation that would allow the military to use personal information to spy on Americans.

Thanks for taking action,

Laura W. Murphy
Director, ACLU Washington Office

occupyallstreets:

Google acknowledged in its latest lobbying disclosure form that it is working behind the scenes on a controversial cybersecurity bill, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).

The bill’s author, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), told The Hill last week that Google has been “supportive” of CISPA, which has angered some of the same Internet activists who joined with Google to defeat the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

A Google spokeswoman said that although the company is lobbying on the bill, it has not taken a public position.

“We think this is an important issue and we’re watching the process closely but we haven’t taken a formal position on any specific legislation,” the spokeswoman said.

The disclosure form lists CISPA along with 10 other consumer issues that Google is lobbying on. The company has eight lobbyists working on the category of issues, including former Rep. Susan Molinari (R-N.Y.) and Pablo Chavez, Google’s director of public policy and a former aide to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

The goal of the legislation is to help companies beef up their defenses against hackers who steal business secrets, rob customers’ financial information and wreak havoc on computer systems.

But civil liberty groups are campaigning against the bill, warning it would encourage companies to hand over private information to government spy agencies.

Supporters of CISPA include Facebook, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Symantec, AT&T and Verizon.

Source /  Read More About CISPA and Sign The Petition

occupyallstreets:

John McCain Introduces CISPA-like Bill

The Strengthening and Enhancing Cybersecurity by Using Research, Education, Information and Technology Act of 2012 (SECURE IT), introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and widely supported by Republicans, would essentially do the same thing as CISPA.

guardian:

Cispa must be blocked, say Anonymous hackers

This video released by the Anonymous hacking collective urges the US public to stop the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection act (Cispa) in the Senate. The bill, passed by the US House of Representatives on Thursday, encourages companies and the federal government to share information collected on the internet to prevent electronic attacks from cybercriminals, foreign governments and terrorists

The Senate will consider cyber security legislation in the coming weeks.  Let’s turn up the heat right away:

Click here to tell the Senate to reject CISPA and any and all legislation that doesn’t respect privacy and civil liberties.

truth-has-a-liberal-bias:

House Republicans rammed through CISPA Thursday afternoon, ahead of schedule.  

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Let’s make sure it dies in the Senate: Please click here to email your Senators right away.

Our hundreds of thousands of emails and tens of thousands of phone calls have had a real impact:

• Amendments were adopted that made CISPA (marginally) better.

• Earlier this month CISPA was supposed to sail through, but we helped foment real opposition, and the vote was far closer than anybody could have imagined even a couple of weeks ago.

• Most Democrats held firm in opposition, and more than two dozen libertarian-leaning Republicans defied their leadership and vote no.

• Most importantly, President Obama has threatened to veto CISPA.

The Senate will consider cyber security legislation in the coming weeks.  Let’s turn up the heat right away:

Click here to tell the Senate to reject CISPA and any and all legislation that doesn’t respect privacy and civil liberties.

Thanks for fighting by our side, and please encourage your friends to get involved.  

If you’re already on Facebook, click here to share with your friends.
If you’re already on Twitter, click here to tweet about the campaign: Tweet

thepoliticalfreakshow:

What is CISPA?

A cybersecurity bill that lets any company share your info with all of government, with no limits. In short, CISPA is the end of meaningful privacy for anyone with personal data on US-based services.

What is TMI?

They’re your inappropriate, awkward, often embarrassing personal details — the kind that the FBI, NSA, CIA, IRS, and local police will soon have access to if CISPA passes.

What’s the plan?

Make Congress embarrassed of their support for CISPA and, well, just embarrassed period, by giving them all the awkward details of our personal lives. They want your personal data? Bury them in it.

Go to the link above to tweet embarrassing information that would be made public with the passage of CISPA. Bombard the idiotic representatives and senators with the information.