House Passes Controversial Cybersecurity Bill

The controversial Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act has passed the House, despite privacy concerns and a veto threat from the White House. CISPA, designed to make it easier for companies and the government to share information about cybersecurity threats, passed 248-168, which isn't a big enough margin to override a veto, Politico reports. Some 42 Democrats backed the bill, while 28 Republicans voted against it.

The bill—dubbed son of SOPA by critics—was backed by Internet firms, including Facebook and Microsoft, but firmly opposed by privacy groups. The co-chairs of the House privacy caucus called CISPA "unacceptable," and urged lawmakers to vote against it, reports the Washington Post. "In its current form, this legislation would allow companies to share personal information about consumers with other companies, even if that information has nothing to do with cybersecurity," they said in a statement. The measure would "also free companies from liability if they share this personal, sensitive information." ProPublica has more on the bill. (More CISPA stories.)