US cybersecurity law could allow government to look in on citizens’ computers, experts warn

Association representing companies including Google and Facebook have come out against the US government’s plans for the internet

James Jeffery, a hacker associated with the global hacking group Anonymous, was able to access women's details on the British Pregnancy Advice Service website (Getty Images)

Many of the biggest technology companies in the world are opposing a US cybersecurity bill that it is feared could lead to the invasion of citizens’ privacy.

The Senate will soon vote on the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (Cisa), which has wide support across parties and is endorsed by Obama and is intended to allow government agencies and companies to share information about cybersecurity threats. But it is being opposed by most of the world’s tech giants — as well as the government agency that it is intended to help.

The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CISA), which represents companies including Google and Facebook, has written an open letter arguing that the bill could cause “collateral harm” to innocent internet users.

The group recognised that it was important to ensure that threats are shared to ensure that people remain safe.

“However, CCIA is unable to support CISA as it is currently written,” the association’s policy counsel wrote. “CISA’s prescribed mechanism for sharing of cyber threat information does not sufficiently protect users’ privacy or appropriately limit the permissible uses of information shared with the government.

“In addition, the bill authorizes entities to employ network defense measures that might cause collateral harm to the systems of innocent third parties.”

The bill was intended to allow tech companies to share user information that was “anonymised” with the Department for Homeland Security (DHS). But the DHS itself has opposed the bill, because it would mean that information could be passed onto the NSA and FBI.