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?