Internet ‘Kill Switch’ Legislation Back in Play

[shockwave]

I was watching Attack of The Show on G4 this evening and they did a segment discussing the current situation in Egypt with the internet being shut down by the government due to the riots. While they were discussing this I heard the host mention the "Internet ‘Kill Switch’ Legislation" that is being sponsored by Republican Sen. Susan Collins from Maine, so I went and did a little research on the internet and needless to say I did not like what I found.

Take a look at what I posted below from wired.com and check out the other link while you at. I have not see the actual proposed legislation but I don't need to because from what I have read already, I don't like how this sounds.

Legislation granting the president internet-killing powers is to be re-introduced soon to a Senate committee, the proposal’s chief sponsor told Wired.com on Friday.

The resurgence of the so-called “kill switch” legislation came the same day Egyptians faced an internet blackout designed to counter massive demonstrations in that country.

The bill, which has bipartisan support, is being floated by Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican ranking member on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The proposed legislation, which Collins said would not give the president the same power Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak is exercising to quell dissent, sailed through the Homeland Security Committee in December but expired with the new Congress weeks later.

The bill is designed to protect against “significant” cyber threats before they cause damage, Collins said.

“My legislation would provide a mechanism for the government to work with the private sector in the event of a true cyber emergency,” Collins said in an e-mail Friday. “It would give our nation the best tools available to swiftly respond to a significant threat.”

The timing of when the legislation would be re-introduced was not immediately clear, as kinks to it are being worked out.

An aide to the Homeland Security committee described the bill as one that does not mandate the shuttering of the entire internet. Instead, it would authorize the president to demand turning off access to so-called “critical infrastructure” where necessary.

An example, the aide said, would require infrastructure connected to “the system that controls the floodgates to the Hoover dam” to cut its connection to the net if the government detected an imminent cyber attack.

What’s unclear, however, is how the government would have any idea when a cyber attack was imminent or why the operator wouldn’t shutter itself if it detected a looming attack.

About two dozen groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Library Association, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Center for Democracy & Technology, were skeptical enough to file an open letter opposing the idea. They are concerned that the measure, if it became law, might be used to censor the internet.

“It is imperative that cyber-security legislation not erode our rights,” (.pdf) the groups wrote last year to Congress.

A congressional white paper (.pdf) on the measure said the proposal prohibits the government from targeting websites for censorship “based solely on activities protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.”

Oddly, that’s exactly the same language in the Patriot Act used to test whether the government can wiretap or investigate a person based on their political beliefs or statements.

Source:Internet ‘Kill Switch’ Legislation Back in Play | Threat Level | Wired.com

See Also:Homeland Security Wants Internet Kill Switch #SEWatch)

 

[Bob369963]

I read about this for my Cyber Security Class. I see some aspects as needed, but what the politicians and others propose is ridiculous to say the least. Every single day there are attempts at breaking into critical infrastructure computer systems and so far none have succeeded in any significant fashion. Were talking major economic and social infrastructure systems that society could not function without and/or military systems. The number one country that is actively trying to penetrate our cyber security defenses is China, followed by other countries and terrorist organizations.

I do see a need to protect critical infrastructure, but handing that kind of power to just one person (regardless of political party) is not what anyone wants or needs. There was a study done that proved it would take too much money, time, people, and technology to significantly alter our ability to function economically or socially. The study did determine that it could be done, but it would require a combined effort as well as coordinated military strategic strikes to really hurt us in that fashion. The consensus was that while it could theoretically be done it was not likely to happen.

 

[CryptKickR]

Legislation like this gives me the crawlies... I'm no conspiracy theorist, by far, but I do know that one thing that has kept our country from turning in to one of those "other" ones is the rights and values that have shaped and molded our country over the years. And the first amendment is just as important as the Second amendment when it comes to making sure the citizenry maintains some degree of power over the future of the country. So, anything that even hints at the power to censor us or cut off mass communications gives me the crawlies just as much as some of the idiotic gun legislation that sometimes comes up for a vote.

 

[ErikStenger]

Thinking you're shutting the internet/phones off when there's a uprising. You'll shut down the economy and chaos will ensue. Congrats dumbasses for making us into a third-world country if you do.

 

[RimGreaper5000]

Reading this objectively, there are 2 ways to look at this....

1. On the merits of the way it reads, this is just giving the executive branch another tool to defend our critical infrastructure, and our nation, against cyber attacks (or at least this is the sales pitch that will be used to get the bill passed).

2. This could have some major ramifications if put into play. As stated in the end, the same rationales were used for the Patriot Act. So yes, there is also a possibility that the final wording could include provisions to use the kill switch to censor the internet.

However, as far as capitalism goes, I don't think that using this bill to get any amount of censorship implemented is going to be good for anyone's political career. Remember that politics is basically poker - money and power are the chips used to play the game. If you go give the government the power to essentially cut off the internet or censor any part of it - expect alot of pushback from media powerhouses and the general public as well. The amount of money that is generated over the internet (like stock trading) and by ISPs is immense. This is why they have staff attorneys and lobbyists whose sole purpose in life is to protect their own political and monetary interests. One can only hope that they have enough clout to to squash this bill on the floor.

This is both mildly reassuring and scary as hell at the same time. I guess all we can do is wait and see what happens.

 

[ErikStenger]

"An Internet kill switch would do more harm than good, and I question the motives behind it."
Shutting Down the Internet | John C. Dvorak | PCMag.com

 

[Vengeance0058]

Thinking you're shutting the internet/phones off when there's a uprising. You'll shut down the economy and chaos will ensue. Congrats dumbasses for making us into a third-world country if you do.

I'm afraid that you are wrong Stenger. You see, it really needs to be-

p:

 

[ErikStenger]

 

[Vengeance0058]

How about ones that fits us....

 

[cplmac]

So as not to allow my fellow Republicans to be smeared in the steaming feces that is Susan Collins, I would like to point out that she is a RINO (Republican In Name Only). She allowed the passage of the Healthcare bill by voting for cloture among MANY other Democratic votes. She also has a bizarre cadence to her voice, it will literally make you lose your breath listening to her. Her fellow Senator from Maine Olympia Snowe is another raging RINO. I can understand the theoretical need to "kill" the internet with the open aggression of Chinese state hackers breaching our government regularly, but the government has proven time and time again that it is more than capable of fucking up even the best of ideas.