Internet ‘Kill Switch’ Legislation Back in Play

[Liberal_in_LA]

Internet ‘Kill Switch’ Legislation Back in Play
By David Kravets January 28, 2011

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.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/01/kill-switch-legislation/

[DainBramaged]

1. Bullshit, I call bullshit...

[ixion]

2. I guess they liked what Mubarak did in Egypt... it's always more fun when you're the dictator

as dumbass always liked to say.

[villager]

3. "see? This is what we actually meant by 'change'"

n/t

[Better Believe It]

4. Has the Obama administration stated its position on this internet "kill switch" proposal?

[FreakinDJ]

5. No but he sure did Mubarak killed the internet

[AndyTiedye]

6. Such a Thing Would be a Terrorist Target In Itself

The Internet was designed to be robust. Putting something like this in would make the whole network vulnerable to an unauthorised shutdown which would have disastrous consequences for our economy.

For that matter an authorized shutdown would have equally disastrous consequences.

Those who wanted to could easily enough circumvent it anyway.

[yourout]

7. "The bill is designed to protect against “significant” cyber threats"....

Yah right.

[Fumesucker]

8. This is all about quelling possible domestic dissent..

And turning off the internet for more than a few hours at most would paralyze the US economy, most grocery stores can't even get stocked without internet data these days.

[spin]

9. I often heard that the object of terrorists was to take away the freedom we enjoy ...

and make our country more like the repressive areas that they come from.

Once we are afraid to use our freedom of speech and we have no real freedom of the press, when the government can arrest and imprison us without trial and invade our privacy with a warrant -- then they have won.

[Lint Head]

10. If this is true that means there is a fear of what happened in Egypt can happen here.