New bipartisan House cybersecurity bill haunted by ghost of SOPA’s failure

A growing backlash from online activists has posed a threat to bipartisan House cybersecurity legislation that lawmakers thought was a slam dunk only a month ago.

Lawmakers, fearing a reprise of the groundswell that blew up online piracy legislation earlier this year, have been quick to try to quell concerns over privacy and censorship. Opposition to the anti-piracy bills — SOPA in the House and PIPA in the Senate — exploded in the span of a few days and killed both. Given the ability of online movements to quickly go viral, the angry statements of online activists have injected unpredictability into the cybersecurity debate. “That’s a shadow hanging over any cyber legislation, unfortunately,” a Senate Democratic aide said of the fallout from the anti-piracy bills.