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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 06/18/2010 : 08:23:16
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Or at least that's how it might be if that loathsome bag of rotted douche, Joe Lieberman has his way. Seems he and a couple of other senators want to give a trigger to shut down the Internet.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), along with one Republican and Democratic senator, introduced a bill late last week that would allow the President to effectively disconnect the internet by emergency decree.
The Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act would allow the President to disconnect Internet networks and force private websites to comply with broad cybersecurity measures.
Future US presidents would have their Internet "kill switch" powers renewed indefinitely.
The bill was introduced by Lieberman, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE). A parallel bill was drafted last year by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) which would allow the federal government to unilaterally "order the disconnection" of certain websites.
“For all of its ‘user-friendly’ allure, the Internet can also be a dangerous place with electronic pipelines that run directly into everything from our personal bank accounts to key infrastructure to government and industrial secrets," Lieberman said in a release announcing his bill. "Our economic security, national security and public safety are now all at risk from new kinds of enemies -- cyber-warriors, cyber-spies, cyber-terrorists and cyber-criminals.
Story continues below... |
Why is it that, historically, every petty tyrant came to power shrieking and/or mewling about "public safety"?
I don't see this going anywhere, but you can't trust me. I've been wrong before, lots of times.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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Robb
SFN Regular
USA
1223 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2010 : 08:33:52 [Permalink]
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| Some people have an unhealthy bent to trust the government with anything. |
Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. - George Washington |
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ThorGoLucky
Snuggle Wolf
USA
1487 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2010 : 17:19:36 [Permalink]
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Of course a president would never use it for non-emergencies, only for political emergencies. 
I could understand a switch to publicly and temporarily disconnect from outside dubious states or enemy/war states, as long as we are allowed to connect on an individual basis, like via satellite, radio or other route. Otherwise it would reek of oppression in the style of personal radio confiscation like in North Korea.
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So long, it's been good t'know ya....
