Anonymous unleashes online petition against US info-sharing bills

Activist and hacktivist collective Anonymous has launched an online awareness-raising operation opposing pending controversial US information-sharing bills.

Critics from across the political spectrum, including libertarian-minded technologist Robert Graham, argue that the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act sacrifices privacy without improving security.

Anonymous goes further still in arguing that the measures threaten Fourth Amendment protections against unwarranted searches and seizures, hence their decision to launch #OperationCISPA.

This CISA bill is an alternative of the CISPA [Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act] that failed to be passed in 2013.

"The CISA and CISPA bills directly attack the Fourth Amendment by letting the NSA monitor your private information without a warrant," a member of the group told El Reg.

"This is a direct impact to our security and assault on our privacy. Our objective is to stop the CISA Bill, and all other future cyber security bills, that aim to diminish our rights on the internet."

#OperationCISPA- Anonymous Targets CISA Bill

Anonymous's action plan against the CISA involves a petition, attempts to build public awareness, and other elements of what looks like a conventional political campaign.

The bill would allow for organisations within the US government and corporate worlds to share data on attacks. Its supporters argue that better information sharing will help defenders prevent against hack attacks that other bodies may have already seen or know about.

Opponents argue that applying Big Data techniques to threat information has been tried in the private sector and doesn't offer the hoped-for benefits of preventing attacks. ®