I wonder why Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Republican, a party that supposedly champions smaller government and individual rights, would vote for the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), a bill designed to provide government regulation over the Internet, which I believe to be the final frontier of human interaction.
Giving the government regulatory power over the Internet can be a grand mistake. Recent turmoil in Egypt and Syria has given countless examples of governmental abuse of power over the Internet to block freedom of speech and hamper the efforts of millions trying to fight against their repressive governments. The Internet has, so far, been mostly untapped of regulation; one must be careful and tread softly when trying to apply the laws of yesterday to the mediums of today.
The problem with this bill is that it is not articulate; vagueness should never exist in any bill. There have been failed attempts at similar bills — SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), for example — so for any bill about this topic to be popular, it must be succinct and explicit, two things this bill is not.
My generation grew up in front of the computer screen in the same way that the current legislatures grew up in front of the television screen.
