The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act: CISPA explained

The goal of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) is to allow greater information sharing between the government and private companies like, for instance, Google and Facebook ("self-protected entities"). CISPA allows companies to share private data from or about their customers with the government, including US intelligence agencies — and in doing so, the bill overrides all other federal and state privacy laws. It allows companies to share almost any type of content, provided it pertains to a "cyber threat." So what exactly falls under the umbrella of a "cyber threat?" According to the bill, "cyber threat information" includes data that threatens systems from protection against:

• efforts to harm public and private systems and networks
• theft or wrongful possession of public or private data, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information
• Thanks to an amendment from Rep. Ben Quayle (R-AZ) that was accepted just prior to the bill's passage, cyber threats are no longer the only purpose for which the government may use your private information under CISPA. As it stands, the bill would allow sharing for the investigation of cyber crimes, for the protection of individuals from "death or serious bodily harm" and related law enforcement needs, for the protection of children, and "to protect the national security of the United States."