Prominent academics, experienced engineers, and professionals published an open letter to Congress yesterday, stating their opposition to CISPA and other overly broad cybersecurity bills. Highlight:

We take security very seriously, but we fervently believe that strong computer and network security does not require Internet users to sacrifice their privacy and civil liberties. The bills currently under consideration, including Rep. Rogers’ Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (H.R. 3523) and Sen. McCain’s SECURE IT Act (S. 2151), are drafted to allow entities who participate in relaying or receiving Internet traffic to freely monitor and redistribute those network communications. The bills nullify current legal protections against wiretapping and similar civil liberties violations for that kind of broad data sharing. By encouraging the transfer of users’ private communications to US Federal agencies, and lacking good public accountability or transparency, these “cybersecurity” bills unnecessarily trade our civil liberties for the promise of improved network security.

Cato’s recent Capitol Hill briefing on cybersecurity covered many similar points, and additional ones, too. CISPA and three other bills are scheduled for consideration on the House floor this week.