Senator Joseph Lieberman proposed a bill that would give president Obama the authority to shut down the internet for fear of cyber-terrorism. The bill which is called Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act (PCNAA), has been dubbed the name "Internet Kill Switch." The bill will require that broadband providers, software firms, and search engines will need to immediately shut down and comply with emergency measure or action, which will be put in place by the Department of Homeland Security, or else face a fine. So shut down for some silly cyber-terrorism or pay a ton of money to prison guards aka Homeland Security.Of course with creating such a "switch" there will be yet another department added within Homeland Security, they will be known as non other than National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications (NCCC). More ways for the government to get our money, to fund a branch that seems quite useless and highly unneeded. So if you make money off of the internet you are subject to command by the NCCC. Some of you that make money off of the internet might also have to engage in information sharing with this new agency.
Liberman says it's imperative that the president has this ability to shut down the internet "say to an electric company or to say to Verizon, in the national interest, 'There's an attack about to come, and I hereby order you to put a patch on this, or put your network down on this part, or stop accepting any incoming from country A."
The Senate Committee of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has approved the cybersecurity bill on June 25th. So I'm guessing that this means they can shut us down whenever they'd like.
Usually I don't sign or point people towards an internet petitions, they don't usually do much but it's the only thing I can think of doing at the moment. So if you disagree with the kill switch and would like to sign a petition against it click here for the "Stop the Internet Kill Switch Bill." And don't forget to check out the "Stop The Internet Kill Switch Bill" Forum.
So how do you feel about this? Leave your comment below, and don't forget to check out the two links for the Petition and the Forum. I didn't create them but am spreading the word.
1 comment:
I would give you my honest reaction to this, but it would require severe soap-in-mouth action afterward. But I can try.
I think this is crap.
It looks like the government is trying to gain as much power as it can. And who is to say that once the government does have this power that they will restrict using the "kill switch" to just cyber-terrorism?
The Internet should be free. I don't mean no-cost (although that would be cool), but free as in "free from government interference and from being shut down willy-nilly on the President's say so."
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