Internet 'kill switch' bill gets a makeover

[cory777]

Source: CNET

A Senate proposal that has become known as the Internet "kill switch" bill was reintroduced this week, with a tweak its backers say eliminates the possibility of an Egypt-style disconnection happening in the United States.

As CNET reported last month, the 221-page bill hands Homeland Security the power to issue decrees to certain privately owned computer systems after the president declares a "national cyberemergency." A section in the new bill notes that does not include "the authority to shut down the Internet," and the name of the bill has been changed to include the phrase "Internet freedom."

"The emergency measures in our bill apply in a precise and targeted way only to our most critical infrastructure," Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said yesterday about the legislation she is sponsoring with Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn). "We cannot afford to wait for a cyber 9/11 before our government finally realizes the importance of protecting our digital resources."

But the revised wording (PDF) continues to alarm civil liberties groups and other critics of the bill, who say the language would allow the government to shut down portions of the Internet or restrict access to certain Web sites or types of content. Even former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak didn't actually "shut down" the Internet: at least at first, a trickle of connections continued.



Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20033717-281.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

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Activist News http://activistnews.blogspot.com

[midnight]

1. Why do our communications in a free country need to be taken away?

[Newest Reality]

3. The free country part is now a myth and we

are getting to see just how and why.

There is something in the air now and change is going to be demanded, rather than begged for.

That seems like a good reason to make sure that you can cut-off the Internet at will. That's the practical value of it, to suppress the growing revolt as the pot boils over while they ramp-up the dismantling of what is left.

I mean, do you think the Patriot Act was patriotic and really about an external threat when we already had measures in place? It is about us and what we might do, as much as anything else.

[boppers]

7. Arguably, because the internet is also a functional weapons system.

That being said, I think the whole legal exercise is absurd, as they're trying to legislate against threats that move so fast that it would be pointless to wait for presidential orders, let alone a judge.... the techs already move much faster on their own, due to crap like "ILOVEYOU" (which resulted in massive email filtering), CodeRed (where everybody denied access to certain web pages on *any* server on the internet), Slammer (when Microsoft SQL servers were shut out), and dealing with Conficker botnets (7-15 million computers currently infected), etc. etc. etc.

When there are literally millions of machines that can be used to muster an attack in minutes, nobody's going to wait around for a presidential order once something significant starts.... these are private networks, and they can shut off anything they want, anytime they want.

[w4rma]

11. Then there is no reason for a "kill switch", under any circumstances.

In fact it makes our infrastructure MORE vulnerable to design a way to do it. The people supporting this are totalitarians. It's as simple as that. They are scared of regular Americans.

[StarsInHerHair]

12. most excellent point!

nt

[grasswire]

2. lipstick on a pig

no thanks

[Marcel]

4. Internet freedom ???

It's as stupid as Patriot Act. :puke:

[wtmusic]

5. A textbook example of Orwellian Doublespeak.

They wouldn't be so brash as to directly contradict the intent of the bill, would they? Would They??

[Marcel]

6. +1

[StarsInHerHair]

13. fishy isn't it?

nt

[AndyTiedye]

8. We Need to Make It So They Can't Deprive Us of Communications

Bad Things happen when they think they eyes of the world are not upon them.
They need to see that they cannot hide their misdeeds. Nor can they deny us the ability to communicate.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x554462

[pam4water]

9. Flashes back to Dr. Strange Love and radio scene were Peter Sellers as Captain Mandrake hears

a ground based radio station playing pop music on his radio, after the Air-force base had gone on lock down. He argues with General Jack Ripper (a.k.a General precious bodily fluids) that there can't be an imminent nuclear war if the local station are just broad casting as normal.

[Catherina]

10. Senatores, Not just no but hell no. n/t

[Demeter]

14. What a Load of Bull!

There's nothing that can be done about a cyber attack. The only purpose of such a bill is to stifle dissent. Unfortunately for those who support this bill, most revolutions happened without even printing press technology. The Internet is not a necessary tool of revolt, just a modern convenience that will save a lot more lives than anything else.

[Betty88]

15. I'm going to laugh my ass off when someone hacks the kill switch nt

[quakerboy]

16. Still no.

There is no need for it, and it will be misused by those in power.