White House Threatens Veto, ACLU Says CISPA Amendments Not Enough

The White House indicated it would veto the Cyber Intelligense Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), which sets up a regime under which government agencies can acquire and retain records from companies that collect private data on the Internet, though largely because the White House doesn't think the legislation goes far enough.

While the White House insists on the "civilian nature" of cyberspace, more importantly, in a fashion typical of this Administration, the federal government would like to see itself granted new authority to "ensure that the Nation's critical infrastructure operators are taking the steps necessary to protect the American people" as well as to set "cybersecurity performance standards." The regime proposed by CISPA is described as "voluntary" by its sponsors.

The ACLU, meanwhile, rejected amendments to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) meant to alleviate rights concerns as "not enough." The amendments offered would narrow the definition of a "threat" and the conditions under which the government could retain or use the information.

CISPA has a much broader base of support than the ill-fated SOPA did, and popular opposition to the bill has not been as fierce as to its predecessor.