Congress may sneak through Internet ‘kill switch’ in defense bill

[cory777]

Source: Raw Story

A federal cybersecurity bill that critics say creates a presidential "kill switch" for the Internet could be added on to a defense spending bill and passed without much debate, technology news sources report.

Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE), one of the sponsors of the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, told GovInfoSecurity.com that the Senate is considering attaching the bill as a rider to a defense authorization bill likely to pass through Congress before the mid-term elections.

"It's hard to get a measure like cybersecurity legislation passed on its own," Carper said.

Carper, along with Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), introduced the bill in June in an effort to combat cyber-crime and the threat of online warfare and terrorism. Critics say the bill would allow the president to disconnect Internet networks and force private websites to comply with broad cybersecurity measures. Future US presidents would have those powers renewed indefinitely.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/0828/congress-internet-kill-switch-defense-bill/

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Uncensored Activist News http://activistnews.blogspot.com

[msongs]

1. America's real enemies are found in Washington DC nt

[RKP5637]

3. Exactly! Ignorance abounds in DC. This country has more to fear from itself than

those outside with the ignorance that abounds within our borders.

[DJ13]

6. Ignorance abounds in DC.

Its not ignorance that makes them do these kinds of things.

Its a fear that the rabble will catch on to the things they're doing, so they feel a need to create a means of disrupting communications between us so they can remain in power.

[RKP5637]

9. This is an excellent point. I've often wondered when opposition, different ideas,

non-conformance would be throttled in the US. The internet does give too much power to the people. Also in a fascist country one doesn't want the people getting too uppity. Ashcroft would have worn out a kill switch for the internet.

[704wipes]

23. i Guess we have to meet in taverns again now

like the Founding Fathers.

It will be easier to decide there where to place the guillotines anyway....

[Iowa]

7. +1

[OhioChick]

11. +2 n/t

[WinkyDink]

28. Agreed! Napolitano being Totalitarian Wannabe #1.

[RKP5637]

2. It would demonstrate congress does not understand technology. That would

put a nice economic bow on the financial mess this country is in... grind it to a halt by an internet kill switch on commerce too. Absolutely brilliant, F'ing absolutely brilliant. Rather than hardening the internet for security, we'll just kill the whole thing if needed. Amazing ignorance.

[skoalyman]

5. its like having your leg cut off then putting a tourniquet around your neck to stop

to stop the bleeding:argh:

[The Backlash Cometh]

They'll just outsource the internets to anyone brilliant enough to

figure the next method of communication.

[xultar]

4. Sounds like some North Korean or Iranian type shit.

[laughingliberal]

18. +1 nt

[Downwinder]

8. Going to include a kill switch for TV, radio, phone,

and electricity service?

If not, why not?

[RKP5637]

10. At minimal, I'd like to see a kill switch for Fox News! n/t

[humbled_opinion]

12. WOW so our leaders are setting it up so the

next time we have a Cheney type Presidency that guy will be all powerful be able to shut down political opposition and run straight pravda type propaganda thru the compliant FAUX media outlets and talk radio. If Democratic leaders do not see the danger in this then we are really finished....

[sofa king]

13. Predicted first use: November 1, 2020.

President uses Internet "Kill Switch" for first time

WASHINGTON: Just days before the election, President George Quayle Cheney Reagan-Hitler invoked the first use of the Internet "kill switch," cutting off communications worldwide and costing untold billions in lost commerce and services. Planes fell from the sky, dams opened their floodgates, gas pipelines exploded and sewage lines backed up while President Reagan-Hitler promised to "shut Democratic Underground down for good," no matter what the cost. The website and message board is accused of telling various insidious truths about the Reagan-Hitler Administration which may jeopardize his reelection.

President Reagan-Hitler narrowly won a controversial decision in 2016, winning the Presidency with 24% of the popular vote and a 5-4 Supreme Court decision....

[Arkana]

20. Is it wrong that I laughed at "George Quayle Cheney Reagan-Hitler"?

You forgot his surname, though: "McStalin".

[YankeeLeft7x]

14. Hardly Surprised!!!!!

George Orwell is laughing in his grave. Not so much because of the government doing what it wants all by itself, but, due to an apathetic American public which allows such things to occur over and over again.....

Technology is moving quite fast and people are allowing themselves to be easily tracked anyhow.

[MisterP]

27. it's not so much apathy as party-brand loyalty: if you have the DLC-shaped Dem party

do things like bank bailouts, mandated private insurance, the IWR, BP protection and collusion, illegal and unconstitutional assassinations of US citizens, sham Wall Street reform, plus a few "good things" thrown in as reverse poison pills, you've knocked out maybe 20-50% of those who'd protest against and complain about those exact same policies if Bush or McAngry had passed them. There seem to be several factors:

% Dems who're as conservative as Dick Cheney (and are thus okay with the abovementioned policies). Remember Rachel Corrie or McKinney's cop-poking non-incident? As I recall, Skinner said we shouldn't defend Cynthia until all the facts came out.
% authoritarians: The Party says it, I believe it, that settles it. Probably thought of ways to poison Romanoff, Lamont, Halter, and Sestak voters for disobeying the Leader, the Commander-in-Chief.
% Dems who think that Dems are the Only Hope for progressive policies, no matter what else they do. Give them a Cleveland steamer and they'll eat the corn out of it.
% Dems who think that those policies are really liberal or "baby steps in the right direction." They think that liberal/left critics are attention whores or schizophrenics. Because, as Dems with Internet connections, they should be better informed, this sector might actually be crazier than somebody tying Earl Grey to their ears and screaming about Stalinonazi public schools.
% low-information moderates who form their opinions based only on cable TV news and vague memories of the Red Menace

[Eric J in MN]

15. Please write your Senators against this.

Example:

Please vote against the Joe Lieberman's "Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act."

We can already respond to internet security issues under current law.

There is no need to give vague Emergency Powers to the executive branch, which will be abused by either the current administration or a future administration.

Having the executive branch order around internet companies is the wrong way to handle internet security.

“Right now, China, the government, can disconnect parts of its Internet in a case of war,” Joe Lieberman told CNN's Candy Crowley. “We need to have that here, too.”

We should not follow China on this.

[Downwinder]

16. The Chairman must be smiling. n/t

[drm604]

17. "force private websites to comply with broad cybersecurity measures"

Do they have any clue at all? They think that they can control the "series of tubes".

[WinkyDink]

29. They would do as China: Shut off access for citizens.

[Metta]

19. How well did that work under Nixon?

Sigh. Happy karma, I say.

[Canuckistanian]

21. Shutting off Internet access will only help a dictator

Businesses would collapse, important services like weather couldn't run and communications networks that use VOIP would die.

And those are just a few off the top of my head.

Any president who used the "Kill switch" would also have to deal with massive protests from the populace, whose everyday lives depend on access.

I think it's safe to say that they wouldn't be president any more.

[MattSh]

25. If only!

I'll have to see those massive protests first, then I'll believe!

[WinkyDink]

30. Operative term: "dictator." They've been known to exist in modern times.

[Posteritatis]

22. I'd worry more if it was vaguely feasible; as is the fact that they think it is annoys me more. (nt)

[JVS]

24. Wouldn't that simply set the internet kill response as the ultimate goal of various political acts?

[Lorien]

26. And in what POSSIBLE scenarios would they "need" to curb our internet use?

Wouldn't that violate our first amendment rights? Also, if they cut my internet they'll also be cutting my phone line (Vonage), so that puts everyone with an internet phone at risk since we'll no longer be able to dial 911 in an emergency. It seems like there could be lawsuits filed to stop them from ever doing this based on these two points alone.

[WinkyDink]

31. Marches on DC or NYC?