The term cyber threat information' means information directly pertaining to a vulnerability of, or threat to, a system or network of a government or private entity, including information pertaining to the protection of a system or network from (A) efforts to degrade, disrupt, or destroy such system or network; or(B) efforts to gain unauthorized access to a system or network, including efforts to gain such unauthorized access to steal or misappropriate private or government information.
Sounds reasonable, right? There does need to be some way to keep people safe in the event of some form of digital terrorism. This gives the government the mobility it needs to fight actual criminals. The problem comes when the bill defines what purposes this information can be obtained for.
The first four are fine, covering things like the prosecution of cyber criminals, protecting people from harm, and preventing psychological damage to children. But the fifth purpose is simply defined as “protection of the national security of the United States.” Which is, to put it lightly, very vague and begging for abuse.
There are plenty of other problems with the bill, too. For a simple and brief explanation of what CISPA is and why many are terrified of it, check out Lifehacker’s brief rundown of it.