Critics who compare CISPA to SOPA are “comparing apples and oranges”, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a sponsor of the bill, told reporters on Tuesday. The other sponsor is Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), the ranking Democrat on the committee.
CISPA would enable participating businesses to share cyber threat information with others in the private sector and enable the private sector to share information with the government on a voluntary basis. The legislation also provides liability protection for companies that choose to protect their own networks or share threat information.
The bill's authors argued that the legislation bars the government from using the information for other purposes "unless a significant cybersecurity or national security purpose exists." But they said the government should not be restricted in how it uses the data.
They stressed that the bill includes adequate measures to protect privacy and civil liberties, such as calling for an inspector general to conduct annual audits on how the data are being used.
"This is just about sharing bad information and malicious software and code to allow the private sector to better protect themselves", Rogers said.