Companies Sharing Hacking Data Get Legal Shield in U.S. Bill

Companies that share information on hacking threats with each other and U.S. law enforcement would be shielded from lawsuits under a House bill passed Wednesday over the objections of privacy advocates.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Bankers Association and other industry groups sought legal protections that would encourage information sharing to help prevent increasingly damaging cyber-attacks. A coalition of civil liberties groups said the bill won’t protect consumers and would create a new government surveillance program.