Senator Joe Lieberman has proposed a bill that would give the president the power to kill the Internet in cases of national emergency. Also known as the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act (PCNAA), the bill would require that private companies such as broadband providers, search engines and software companies immediately comply with any emergency requirements put in place by Homeland Security. If they don’t comply, the companies would face enormous fines.
The bill also allows for the creation of a new department within Homeland Security called the National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications (NCCC). This agency would control any private company that relies on the Internet, the telephone system or any other component of the U.S. “information infrastructure.” They would also be required to engage in “information sharing” with the NCCC.
Lieberman defends the bill by essentially stating that there may be a time when there is a national security threat that requires the government have the ability to order companies ISPs to shut down portions of the Internet or search engines to restrict access to and from certain countries.
The biggest opponent to the Internet “kill switch” is TechAmerica, which sees this move as having the potential to silence free speech under the guise of national security.
While I understand the thinking behind the bill, I worry that there is the potential for abuse. If access to the Internet is restricted or cut off, then the American public is at the mercy of the U.S. government for all of its information. As much as I love this country, I enjoy being able to access different sites for information. That is part of what makes this country great.
I have to go back to the only frame of reference that I have ~ September 11th. What if on that day the government had shut down the Internet or restricted phone calls? I would have been at a loss and I know many of you would have been too. Not only was I relying on television coverage for my news but I was also checking various websites for information. I also used the web to check on some of my online friends. Had there been an Internet kill switch I would have been loss.
So tell me, are you comfortable with giving up some of your freedoms in the name of national security? How much is too much to sacrifice?
June 23, 2010 at 2:24 PM
No. I’m not comfortable with this suggestion. And it includes telephones? For Pete’s sake. Maybe Lieberman thinks that the President should be able to control the weather too – I mean, in a national security crisis, we sure wouldn’t want a thunderstorm. How can an adult person really have even ever thought of shutting down the ability of individuals to transfer information?
June 23, 2010 at 7:00 PM
Exactly. Being able to access information is fundamental to our well being. And while I understand that we as a nation face attacks, I think the greatest attack on the American people would be the “shutting down” of the Internet or restricting access to information through phone lines,etc.
June 23, 2010 at 4:26 PM
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June 23, 2010 at 6:07 PM
It’s not a good thing. Is the threat or risk real? Are you sure we face attack? Read my blog post to get a different perspective on the issue:
http://misterreiner.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/national-cybersecurity-politicians-black-hat-magic-and-white-lies/
June 23, 2010 at 7:01 PM
Thank you for the link. I’m getting ready to read your post now.
December 1, 2010 at 7:18 AM
As civilians we do not sacrifice anything compared to our military. I know this because I served 10 years and now I am a civilian. No one has asked me to pick up and give my life since I left. Maybe we need to try other means to our way of life instead of just internet. People do not fully understand what we are dealing with. These are very bright, smart, and well funded individuals that want all of us (Americans) dead. Believe it or not. These people do not forgive or forget. Yes, they are learning to use the computers against us, yes they may even take a plane down just from a touch of their laptops. We need to pull our heads out of the sand, open our eyes, quit crying about “our” sacrifice and learn to deal with change. If we want to be safe, we want our family and friends to be safe, then we will quit the crying and just deal. I have heard so much about our rights I am about to be sick. How about the “620,000 lives it took for us to get our rights. We have become a nation of entitlement, and we have become soft. It is really getting pathetic.
February 10, 2012 at 4:39 PM
Hi There Curiouschild,
I take your point, Are we, or will we be higher off?
Whats the edge?
It appears to me that a poor sign on analog was a tiny snowy, but usable- a bad electronic signal is not usable at all???
Am I correct??
Could there be a military or national stability purpose for this move???
Catch you again soon!