Defining PIPA, SOPA, CISPA and CISA, Plus Why You Should Care

The PROTECT IP Act (Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act, or PIPA) is a proposed law with the stated goal of giving the US government and copyright holders additional tools to curb access to "rogue websites dedicated to the sale of infringing or counterfeit goods", especially those registered outside the U.S. The bill was introduced on May 12, 2011, by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and 11 bipartisan co-sponsors. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that implementation of the bill would cost the federal government $47 million through 2016, to cover enforcement costs and the hiring and training of 22 new special agents and 26 support staff. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill, but Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) placed a hold on it.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was a United States bill which sought to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to combat online copyright infringement and online trafficking in counterfeit goods. On January 18, 2012, Wikipedia, Google, and an estimated 7,000 other smaller websites coordinated a service blackout, to raise awareness. Wikipedia said more than 162 million people viewed its banner. Other protests against SOPA and PIPA included petition drives, with Google stating it collected over 7 million signatures, boycotts of companies and organizations that support the legislation, and an opposition rally held in New York City. Access to websites of several pro-SOPA organizations and companies such as RIAA, CBS.com, and others was impeded or blocked with DoS attacks which started on January 19, 2012. Self-proclaimed members of the "hacktivist" group Anonymous claimed responsibility and stated the attacks were a protest of both SOPA and the United States Department of Justice's shutdown of Megaupload on that same day.
Some opponents of the bill support the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN) as an alternative. On January 20, 2012, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Smith postponed plans to draft the bill.
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) is a proposed law in the United States which would allow for the sharing of Internet traffic information between the U.S. government and technology and manufacturing companies. The stated aim of the bill is to help the U.S. government investigate cyber threats and ensure the security of networks against cyberattacks. On April 26, 2012, the House of Representatives passed CISPA. On February 13, 2013, United States Representative Mike Rogers reintroduced the CISPA bill in the 113th Congress as H.R. 624. On April 18, 2013, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 624. The Senate has reportedly refused to vote on the measure and is drafting competing legislation.

The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) is a proposed law in the United States which would allow for the sharing of Internet traffic information between the U.S. government and technology and manufacturing companies.

Now that you should know the expressed intentions of each bill, you should know why they are worth fighting against. CISPA at its heart could have allowed the government to censor any "cyberthreat" online that it deems harmful. The bill did not clearly define what it deemed harmful or what it considers to be a cyberthreat which lead to fears that the government not only could, but would overstep its bounds and silence valid political speech or act on behalf of various industry groups like the MPAA and RIAA to takedown any allegedly-unofficial content without any judicial review. For example, sites like Wikileaks and any site dealing with bitcoins could be shut down. It would also allow companies to share your private information with each other and the government, without first informing you. Essentially without clearly defined parameters, your emails, browser history, and potentially your online banking and medical records would no longer be secure.