Cybersecurity bill CISPA tramples on Fourth Amendment rights

[Commentary] Silicon Valley's members of Congress know that cybersecurity can be accomplished without destroying Americans' online privacy. It's too bad that the House of Representatives didn't listen to them.

Now it's up to the Senate or, if it fails, a presidential veto to stop the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, known as CISPA, in its current form.

Congress goes to extremes to guard Americans' Second Amendment right to own guns, but it's all too willing to trample Fourth Amendment rights to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures. Rep Zoe Lofgren says the current version of CISPA threatens to throw out the Constitution "whenever something bad happens." Valley companies are largely in favor of the bill. Sharing information about cyberattacks has significant value to them, and freeing them from liability is a bonus. Proponents say companies will be guarded about turning over information because they have an interest in protecting consumers' privacy rights, but the risk is far too high. The California Legislature is examining a bill, AB 1291, that would increase consumer protection online, requiring companies to fully inform them of any personal data that's being collected and shared for business purposes. But it wouldn't offer protections from CISPA if the feds claimed there was a cyberthreat, unless the Senate or Obama acts. Online commerce is a huge part of our economy. Users should have a reasonable expectation that government won't trample their rights. CISPA is weighted in favor of government spying with little Fourth Amendment protection. It has to be amended or stopped.