Stop the Online Spying Bill

The federal government and big companies want limitless new powers to spy on you, and they plan to get them via legislation called CISPA — the "Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act" (HR 3523).

The "Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act" (HR 3523) would give the government new powers to read, watch and listen to everything we do on the Internet. The folks behind CISPA claim that national security interests make this surveillance necessary, but the bill's language is so vague and overreaching that it opens the door for rampant abuse of our online rights, including bypassing privacy protections to spy on your emails and text messages, block access to particular Web sites and permit companies to hand over social networking and cellphone contact lists.

CISPA also contains sweeping language that could be used as a blunt weapon to silence whistleblower Web sites like WikiLeaks and the news organizations that publish their revelations.

Furthermore, it would create an environment in which we refrain from speaking freely online for fear that the National Security Agency — the same agency that has conducted "warrantless wiretapping" online for years — could come knocking.

As a nonprofit advocacy organization, the FSF objects to any such censorship, regardless of whether we agree with the messages being censored. We also worry specifically about the ways these measures might be used against free software developers, especially those working in the area of privacy and encryption software.

Tell your member of Congress to vote NO on CISPA and stop this bill in its tracks.

Our friends at the EFF have more information on CISPA.

Based on text from SaveTheInternet.com.

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