Online Poker Bill Didn't Become Attached to C I S P Act

The American government is doing all it can to keep Americans safe from what is known as cyber attack by proposing a bill that allows file sharing to maintain cyber security. To sharpen the prosecution’s teeth the amended bill just passed by the House of Representatives will allow agencies of the government to use shared information for the purpose of, “investigation and prosecution of cybersecurity crimes”, the “protection of individuals from the danger of death or physical injury” and the “protection of minors from physical or psychological harm.” Although the President has veto over the bill which he may very well exercise the amended Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) was passed by 248-168 recently.

Amendments from the proposed bill that originally was set out to include only those that threatened national security and not the extra reasons. Agents of the government are not to be able to use library, medical or gun purchase records, tax returns or educational documents. These amendments will please detractors to some extent. Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Republican Mike Rogers, commented after extended debate on the bill, “This is the last bastion of things we need to do to protect this country.” The Poker Players Alliance was reported trying to attach their online poker bill to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. To the delight of many poker players who were not in favour of the cyber security bill this was not accomplished.

The reason the internet poker players are against this bill because of the many grey areas that erode the privacy rights of individuals on the internet. Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, “In an effort to foster information sharing, this bill would erode the privacy protections of every single American using the internet. It would create a ‘wild west’ of information sharing,”