Reminder - World Wide Web cleanup 04/01/2006

[RobertSeattle]

From: Department of Homeland Security
Date: March 29, 2006 8:48:17 AM MST
To: All US Medical Facilities

Subject: World Wide Web cleanup

It is necessary to inform all internet dependent facilities that the internet will be shut down for cleaning for twenty-four hours from midnight on March 31 through the early hours of April 2. This cleaning is necessary to clear out the "electronic flotsam and jetsam" that has accumulated in the network. Dead email and inactive ftp, www, and gopher sites will be purged. The cleaning will be done by five very powerful Japanese-built multi-lingual Internet-crawling robots (Toshiba ML-2274) situated around the world. During this period, users are warned to disconnect all devices from the internet. If electronic files will be needed during that period of time, it is advised that back-up systems be used, without attempting to access them through the Internet. Although the general public has not been informed of this shutdown to avoid a general panic, it has been deemed necessary to inform public medical and emergency facilities that may have become internet dependent. This message may be passed on to any facility or person that you believe may be affected by this short shutdown.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

U.S. Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security Randy Beardsworth