Last week, we reported on a White House representative publicly denouncing CISPA. It seemed odd then that CISPA was never officially called out in the denouncement. Well, the White House has finally come out with an official letter detailing their beef with the legislation.

The two-page letter begins by saying that the “Administration is committed to increasing public-private sharing of information about cybersecurity threats as an essential part of comprehensive legislation to provide that Nation’s vital information systems and critical infrastructure.” Well that’s all and good, but what don’t you like about it, White House?

The sharing of information must be conducted ina manner that preserves Americans’ privacy, data confidentiality, and civil liberties and recognizes the civilian nature of cyberspace. Cybersecurity and privacy are not mutually exclusive. Moreover, information sharing, while an essential component of comprehensive legislation, is not alone enough to protect the Nation’s core critical infrastructure from cyber threats. Accordingly, the Administration strongly opposes H.R. 3523, the Cyber IntelligenceSharing and Protection Act, in its current form

From there, the letter tears CISPA a new one paragraph by paragraph detailing each failing the bill currently has. These failings include not enough protection of privacy to the inclusion of the NSA in the bill. The last one is most important as the White House says that a cybersecurity initiative must be backed by a civilian agency like the Department of Homeland Security.

The final sentence is the real kicker: “However, for the reasons stated herein,if H.R. 3523 were presented to the President, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.”

I think these are the very words that the Internet wanted to hear. Of course, we’re not out of the woods yet since a veto is not a definite death wish, but it’s a pretty good indicator that CISPA is not likely to pass. While I don’t think CISPA isn’t the terrible bill that many people make it out to be, it should get a good rewrite before they try it again.

Here’s the letter for your reading pleasure:

White House issues statement against CISPA

[h/t: @YourAnonNews]