C4L Letter to the Hill, Re: CISPA

Dear Representative,

On behalf of over half a million Campaign for Liberty members who are deeply concerned about government’s expanding invasions on their privacy, I urge you to vote “NO” on H.R. 3523, the “Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011” (CISPA).

The American people depend on their elected representatives to be the guardians of their privacy rights, yet CISPA opens the door for unprecedented abuse.

Though CISPA is touted as being a harmless bill that enables voluntary “information sharing” between private corporations and government agencies, the “notwithstanding any other provision in law” clause it contains would essentially deem all existing privacy laws null and void for “cybersecurity” purposes.

In addition, CIPSA would allow the transfer of vast amounts of data between private entities and government departments without any requirement on removing personally identifying details.

And it prevents the American people from being able to take action against a private company that misuses their personal information or falsely labels them a threat. 

Even in cases of intentional misuse of personal information by government agencies, a two-year statute of limitations virtually guarantees such abuses will go unchallenged.

Constitutional safeguards instituted to defend the fundamental principles that are supposed to set our nation apart must never be abandoned or traded for a false sense of security.

Though defending our country is the primary responsibility of the federal government, any such efforts must be undertaken with full respect given to the American people’s rights and freedoms.

“Cybersecurity” legislation that truly tackles the problem will not leave experts in the tech field scratching their heads as to what Congress is attempting to do.  And the bill’s language would specifically target a clearly identified threat, instead of allowing seemingly anyone to access our most personal details.

C4L will track the final vote on CISPA, and I hope we can report to our members in your district that you upheld their right to privacy by voting against H.R. 3523, the “Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011.”