The Kill Switch bill

The debate is heating up in the US over the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset legislation that was introduced last year to Congress. According to USA Today, the bill has been a much discussed topic at the RSA Internet security conference taking place in San Francisco this week. The legislation creates addition cyber security measures and adds emergency powers that can be enacted by the President. The bill allows for the President to shut down Internet access in the event of an emergency for up to 120 days. And this is the part that is causing the most controversy.

The bill was introduced in June last year by by Sens. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Tom Carper, D-Del. The bill needs to be re-introduced to this current Congress in order to be considered and this is likely to happen as part of a larger cyber security bill slated for this Congressional term.

The debate around this bill focuses on the possibility of censorship and framed in light of the Egyptian block on the Internet around the current government crisis. Lieberman, who introduced the bill and is chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, said in a statement, "There can be no debate over whether our nation needs to improve its cyberdefenses. Our legislation is designed to improve these defenses, while protecting the fundamental freedoms that we all cherish."

Opponents disagree with Lieberman. Timothy Karr, campaign director for media-policy group Free Press said, "In our constitutional system of checks and balances, that concentrates far too much power in one branch of government. The devil is always in the details, and here the details suggest that this is a dangerous bill that threatens our free-speech rights."

Whatever the case, the debate around the idea of an ‘Internet emergency off switch’ will no doubt continue.

Comments

[MaxFarquar]

120 days!!
Oh, and for 'emergency' read "population strongly disagreeing with the government of the day, to such an extent, this is the only way left to stop a revolution".

Probably ;-)

maxfarquar.com

[Niki]

http://therighttodieathomewiththoseilove.blogspot.com/

I believe we should be looking more to home and be allowed to switch ourselves off when we choose. How about BBW taking this very important issue on board The Right to Die with dignity.

[NeverSurrender]

Talk about taking a hypocritical position! It's OK for the USA to unplug the Internet when it wants but not for anyone else. No matter what checks and balances there are a power like that is wide open to abuse. USA get your grubby hands off the Internet and just cope with things that you find unpleasant.

@Niki - I completely agree. Politicians are way out of step with the general public on that issue.

[RoCk]

But we already have a button to shutdown the internet :O)

http://www.turnofftheinternet.com/

[Niki]

http://steelmagnolia-steelmagnolia.blogspot.com/2011/02/httpwww_18.html

Calls for all DNA and to back it up we have a sudden 'paedofrenzy' and a reminder that according to the McCanns their daughter was taken by a paedophile ring. I am going to look a little deeper into this latest scaremongering. I hope BBW will also dig beneath the surface.