Barton and Markey urge House to reject cybersecurity bill over privacy concerns

Reps. Joe Barton (R-Texas) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.), the co-chairmen of the Congressional Privacy Caucus, urged lawmakers to reject the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) on Thursday.

The lawmakers offered an amendment to the bill that would have toughened its privacy protections, but the House Rules Committee did not schedule a vote on their measure.

CISPA would tear down legal barriers that prevent companies from sharing information about cyber threats, but privacy advocates warn it could lead companies to hand over their users' private information to spy agencies.

The Barton-Markey amendment would have barred the government from using the information for any purpose other than combating cyber threats.

“If this piece of legislation had a privacy policy, it would be ‘You have no privacy!’. In its current form, this legislation would allow companies to share personal information about consumers with other companies, even if that information has nothing to do with cybersecurity," Barton and Markey said in a statement. "The bill also frees companies from liability if they share this personal, sensitive information. This is unacceptable, and we urge a NO vote on this inadequate legislation.”

The White House threatened to veto the bill on Wednesday, citing privacy concerns and the lack of mandatory security standards for critical infrastructure systems. 

Backers of the bill say the government should be able to use the information it collects for purposes such as protecting national security, preventing bodily harm or theft and protecting children.

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