Tech | August 28, 2010 | 27 comments

Congress to Sneak Internet ‘Kill Switch’ in Defense Bill !!

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SushiBandit
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.

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.

The bill (PDF) states that Internet service providers, search engines and other Internet-related businesses "shall immediately comply with any emergency measure or action developed" by the Department of Homeland Security.

so... were FUCKED Again!

Take a stand and tell your reps to trash this admendment.
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27 comments // Congress to Sneak Internet ‘Kill Switch’ in Defense Bill !!

  • 0roburos
  • Incredulous
    • 0
      Incredulous  
    • watch how they vote, and vote their pathetic useless asses out of a job.
      September
      October
      November

      Poof...you are gone Senator Worthless!

    • 1 year ago
  • David_Dodson
  • galwayman
    • 0
      galwayman  
    • In fact there is no real way to kill the net because IP providers and Internet sites can switch to the server in the EU and keep on doing business as usual! Not sure though if there is some way to block that technology wise but there are options to keep the net up and running generally speaking!

    • 1 year ago
  • H2O_4U
  • ReverandG
    • -1
      ReverandG  
    • Add this story to the Obama machine at the EPA trying to outlaw Bullets that use lead. He will use his appointees not the congress to pull this off. Doubt it? I don't, better gather as much ammo as you can and get those reloading outfits set up.
      If they can't take your guns, they will outlaw the ammo next.

    • 1 year ago
  • KSirys
    • +1
      KSirys  
    • It's going to happen... you know why? because 110 have viewed this page and are thinking the same thing i thought before leaving a comment... why should i care? it's going to happen even if we had 100, 200 or even 500 comments saying no!

      Nothing will change government officials, until it affects them personally.

    • 1 year ago
  • treewolf39
    • +2
      treewolf39  
    • KSirys:

      Really? If 10 people from every state called and wrote their senators opposing this broad power it would not go through. Sadly, 10 may be a tall order. Your right, comments on current don't do shit for anything.

    • 1 year ago
  • KSirys
    • +3
      KSirys  
    • treewolf39:

      I'm sorry for being negative Treewolf39! Is just that even though people like yourself are here to educate others, some people just don't care with what's going on out there. I care, i wish i could do something about it... but the government doesn't care about the small folk.. they care about corporations and businesses that pay them, 200k just to see them...

      thanks for the info and again, i'm sorry for the message!

    • 1 year ago
  • treewolf39
    • +1
      treewolf39  
    • KSirys:

      Nothing to be sorry for. I feel the same most of the time. I hold a glimmer of hope that people will start to take responsibility for the government instead of waiting for class warfare. Democracy requires participation. Liberty may require blood if the masses insist on being led. So many think that the status-quo is okay. They fail to see freedom slipping away to a corporate police state.

      The powers that be discriminate and marginalize anyone they do not agree with. They trick the poor into blaming hardships on some other groups of poor, meanwhile basic services get outsourced to rich corporations who only supply services to those who can pay. Where I live they are tearing out roads that will be needed to combat forest fire, all on the tax payers dime.

      The internet is the peoples only real way to share information quickly to overcome some of the spin. I have learned so much from posters on this and other cool sites.

    • 1 year ago
  • KSirys
    • +2
      KSirys  
    • treewolf39:

      I always wonder how 149 can view something so important and only have 19 comments... that's why sometimes i think people should just be on their own.

      I try to inform people but they look at me like i'm a weirdo or a negative person, for trying to educate them. So, i continue doing my thing... work, be with friends and family (even though they don't care either) and spend time with my dogs... that's what keeps me happy and going...

    • 1 year ago
  • treewolf39
  • KSirys
  • addie340
    • -1
      addie340  
    • Damn where are all the Lefties on this one guess they can't find a way to defend there messiah on this one. If we don't take a stand once and for all we will be slaves to Washington and the crooks running it. The chit is going to hit the fan soon I just don't know how soon.

    • 1 year ago
  • AsiaSuperLoop
    • +1
      AsiaSuperLoop  
    • Just add this to the pile of reasons why one should be interested in the political process and fight for a voice within it.

      A generallized "kill switch" is probably preferable to any restriction that is content-specific. Nonetheless, something to be considered very carefully. Threat of cyber attacks is real, but solutions shouldn't be worse than the problems they are intended to address. Also, it's arguable that the President has the kill switch power already. I imagine the legislation is designed to fund an infrastructure and methodology to make this possible and, if necessary, efficient.

    • 1 year ago
  • treewolf39
  • AsiaSuperLoop
    • 0
      AsiaSuperLoop  
    • treewolf39:

      I agree. Some ground rules would have to be set. The kill switch, of course, should never be used to quell domestic dissent. If the democratic mechanism encounters an internal problem that it cannot resolve, then that mechanism can and should be allowed to fail. Implosion is a democratic possibility.

      But there it is. Of course, it would be used to quell domestic dissent. And then it would be used selectively to edit specific content. Maybe democracy just means that we get to choose our tyrant of the moment.

      The Chinese model of information management is only a thought away. It could happen in a few nano-seconds.

    • 1 year ago
  • treewolf39
    • +1
      treewolf39  
    • AsiaSuperLoop:

      I would like to know the positive side of an internet kill switch. What does internet terror look like? How would stopping world communication help anyone except those who are oppressing others?

    • 1 year ago
  • projectmayhem
    • +2
      projectmayhem  
    • it will happen. other than tv most people get their news from the internet. if something happens that might cause civil unrest, they need to be able to control and decieve the masses. shut off the internet and people will depend solely on television. all media is unreliable because they're just trying to sell a story, not to mention being controlled by people behind the curtains. this will be labeled as a conspiracy theory.

    • 1 year ago
  • treewolf39
    • +1
      treewolf39  
    • projectmayhem:

      Already television is controlling information to most of the people. Having the internet does not mean people are using it to find truth. Fox news has a giant internet following. I always forget that porn is what makes the internet tick.

    • 1 year ago
  • EmperorThan
  • Progresshiv
    • +4
      Progresshiv  
    • We need to keep inventing new ways to communicate to keep one step ahead of the censors, the black and empty forces of negation.

    • 1 year ago
  • EmperorThan
  • Progresshiv
  • freecrack
  • treewolf39
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