2013: Schweikert Voted To Potentially Approve Of Employers Asking Employees Or Job Applicants To Turn Over Personal Passwords. In April 2013, Schweikert voted against a proposed amendment to the House version of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) that, among other things, would have stated that nothing in CISPA or the National Security Act should be interpreted to "permit an employer, a prospective employer, or the Federal Government to require the disclosure of a confidential password for a social networking website or a personal account of an employee or job applicant without a court order." The amendment would also have required a report on the subject. The motion to recommit failed by a vote of 189 to 224; CISPA then passed the House by a vote of 288 to 127. [House Vote 116, 4/18/13; Congressional Record, 4/18/13; Congressional Actions, H.R. 624]
Intelligence Committee: Nothing In CISPA Allows Such Employer Behavior. According to a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, it is a "myth" that "CISPA requires employees to give employers their Twitter and Facebook passwords." According to the committee, "CISPA has nothing to do with employer/employee law. No provision of the bill authorizes any employer to require their employees to provide social media passwords as a condition of employment." [House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, "Myth vs. Fact," Accessed 6/21/13]
CISPA Aimed At Permitting Sharing Of Cybersecurity-Related Data Between Private Sector and Federal Government. According to the Washington Post, "CISPA would remove obstacles to greater sharing of malware and other threat data by companies to the government and vice versa." [Washington Post, 4/19/13]
CISPA Included Provisions Protecting Companies From Lawsuits For Sharing Cybersecurity-Related Information With The Government. According to the Washington Post, "One provision of [CISPA] would protect companies from lawsuits related to their sharing of data with the government. Privacy advocates said revisions to the bill did not allay their concerns." [Washington Post, 4/19/13]
ACLU: CISPA Would Allow Companies To Share Internal Data With Agencies Like NSA Without Removing Personal Information First. According to the Washington Post, ACLU legislative counsel Michelle Richardson said, " 'CISPA is an extreme proposal that allows companies that hold our very sensitive information to share it with any company or government entity they choose,' even directly with military agencies such as the National Security Agency, without first stripping out personal information." [Washington Post, 4/19/13]