Behind the Headlines Video
03/03/11 Internet Kill Switch
Imagine. One moment you're working on the Internet. And the next moment it's gone. Because the government shut it down. But that could only happen in Egypt, Libya, China or elsewhere, you say. No, it could happen here.
Just introduced, this Senate bill would give the President the authority to shut-down the Internet. The stated reason is to guard against a national Internet emergency or vulnerability. But the Federal government and not private industry has been the single-worst offender when it comes to network vulnerabilities.
Sponsored by Senators Lieberman, Collins and Carper S.413 would give nearly unlimited power to the president – this president, any president – to declare a cyber security emergency and kill the Internet. This bill gives the president authority over government and private systems. These senators have said no one person should be able to shut-down the Internet. But their bill gives the president Internet kill switch authority if the White House determines that is the best course of action in a national emergency scenario.
In recent weeks, the Justice Department and Homeland Security – armed with a single judge’s order – shut down 84,000 private websites. The government claimed they dealt in child pornography. But they hadn't. The government made a huge blunder. Yet, it shut down the websites just the same.
Protect free speech. Urge your members of Congress to delete the Lieberman-Collins Internet bill.
Imagine. One moment you're working on the Internet. And the next moment it's gone. Because the government shut it down. But that could only happen in Egypt, Libya, China or elsewhere, you say. No, it could happen here.
Just introduced, this Senate bill would give the President the authority to shut-down the Internet. The stated reason is to guard against a national Internet emergency or vulnerability. But the Federal government and not private industry has been the single-worst offender when it comes to network vulnerabilities.
Sponsored by Senators Lieberman, Collins and Carper S.413 would give nearly unlimited power to the president – this president, any president – to declare a cyber security emergency and kill the Internet. This bill gives the president authority over government and private systems. These senators have said no one person should be able to shut-down the Internet. But their bill gives the president Internet kill switch authority if the White House determines that is the best course of action in a national emergency scenario.
In recent weeks, the Justice Department and Homeland Security – armed with a single judge’s order – shut down 84,000 private websites. The government claimed they dealt in child pornography. But they hadn't. The government made a huge blunder. Yet, it shut down the websites just the same.
Protect free speech. Urge your members of Congress to delete the Lieberman-Collins Internet bill.
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