COMMITTEE PASSES PLAN FOR INTERNET ‘KILL SWITCH’ IN EGYPT — AH… U.S.

COMMITTEE PASSES PLAN FOR INTERNET ‘KILL SWITCH’ IN EGYPT — U.S.

Pending legislation that would grant the President of the United States the power to pull the plug on the country’s internet access in a declared “emergency” returned to the forefront this week on the same day Egyptians faced a nation-wide blackout designed to curtail widespread government protests. Egypt flipped it’s so-called “kill switch” — will the U.S.?

The bipartisan bill is sponsored by Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.  The bill — called “The Protecting Cyberspace As A National Asset Act of 2010” S.3480 — was approved by a Senate panel this week.

S. 3480 would create a new government agency called the National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications.  The NCCC would have sweeping powers to control the Internet, including the ability to shut down the web for a 30-day period.  Considering that at least 60% of Americans get their daily news fix from the Internet, this is a staggering proposal.

Blaze writer Mike Opelka also notes that groups such as the ACLU see this proposed legislation potentially giving the President a giant kill switch for the Internet.  Before the bill moves to the Senate floor for a vote, the ACLU has formally noted their disapproval.

While Collins insists her bill would not grant the president the same powers as Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak has exercised this week, many are wondering what kinds of implications the measure would have on Americans’ freedom.

Many in the high-tech world join the ACLU in questioning the bill as well.

PC Magazine‘s Dan Costa warned Friday that the United States must learn from Egypt’s “state-sponsored denial of service attack” on its citizens. “The surprising thing isn’t that a corrupt, authoritarian regime would launch this kind of state-sponsored denial off service attack on its own citizens. Nor that it is willing to jeopardize its economy by cutting its businesses off from world markets. No, the thing that surprises me is that the U.S. government has plans for its own Internet Kill Switch,” Costa wrote.

The legislation was first introduced last summer by Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), and the former has promised to bring it to the floor again in 2011. It isn’t called anything as obvious as the Internet Kill Switch, of course. It is called the “Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act.” Who could be against that? Anyone who’s watching the news on TV today, that’s who.

The proposal calls for the Department of Homeland Security to establish and maintain a list of systems or assets that constitute critical cyber-infrastructure. The President would be able to be able to control those systems. He or she would have ability to turn them off. The kicker: none of this would be subject to judicial review. This is just a proposal, mind you, but it certainly warrants concern. Particularly given the heavy-handed example being provided by Egypt.

The bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Joe Liebermann, I-Conn., previously sailed through the Homeland Security Committee just before the 111th Congress ended, and will have to be reconsidered in the new 112th Congress.

Intended to protect the country against “significant” cyber threats, Sen. Collins says the bill “would provide a mechanism for the government to work with the private sector in the event of a true cyber emergency.”

“It would give our nation the best tools available to swiftly respond to a significant threat,” she added.

Wired.com reports:

An aide to the Homeland Security committee described the bill as one that does not mandate the shuttering of the entire internet. Instead, it would authorize the president to demand turning off access to so-called “critical infrastructure” where necessary.

An example, the aide said, would require infrastructure connected to “the system that controls the floodgates to the Hoover dam” to cut its connection to the net if the government detected an imminent cyber attack.

What’s unclear, however, is how the government would have any idea when a cyber attack was imminent or why the operator wouldn’t shutter itself if it detected a looming attack.

About two dozen groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Library Association, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Center for Democracy & Technology, were skeptical enough to file an open letter opposing the idea. They are concerned that the measure, if it became law, might be used to censor the internet.

“It is imperative that cyber-security legislation not erode our rights,” (.pdf) the groups wrote last year to Congress.

On Friday, executives with London-based Vodofone came under scrutiny after admitting they had complied with the Egyptian government’s request to shut down internet and mobile phone access in Egypt.  According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Vodofone Group CEO Vittorio Cola expressed concern with the state-ordered blackout, but the company determined that the request was “legitimate under Egyptian law,” and therefore complied with the request.

In addition, Al Jazeera reported that protesters on Friday destroyed Vodafone stores in Cairo, among other locations tied to the ruling regime.

In the meantime, Costa insists that such a “kill switch” initiative could be devastating for the United States — not just because of the real impact on individual liberties, but also because of widespread economic ramifications:

The U.S. telecommunication industry is much more complex and far more decentralized [than Egypt's]. To do something similar in the U.S. would require a lot more than four phone calls. There are simply too many connections inside the nation already for them to be silenced. Also, since our economy is more dependent on the Internet obstructing the free flow of information would be disastrous. Still, the push for a U.S. Internet Kill Switch is here, but no one understands the consequences.

The fact is, no one in the U.S. should ever have the right or the ability to take the Internet offline. As an editor of a purely online publication (we made the switch from print a few years ago), it’s very clear to me that freedom of the press relies more than ever on the Internet. No one in the U.S.—or anywhere—should have the right to shut it down.

Source:  the Blaze

STOP Internet Takeover - Rescind FCC Vote

View this Email as a Web Page

STOP Internet Takeover - Rescind The FCC Vote! ALERT: The FCC has voted to take away your internet freedom without approval from Congress. The new law will give Obama and his cronies full control of the world wide web! Tell Congress To Rescind The FCC Vote & Protect Your Internet Rights! The FCC Does Not Have The Authority To Expand Governmental Regulation TELL CONGRESS TO RESCIND THE FCC VOTE! The FCC passed the internet regulating rules on Tuesday. Two days have passed and the American public has yet to receive any additional details about the rules. Even more shocking, FCC activist Chairman Julius Genachowski still hasn’t released an official copy of the rules! Something smells fishy. Many questions remain such as exactly how much will the government control and regulate the internet. Until Genachowski get releases the report those questions will remain unanswered. The internet regulation plan was created under the guise to protect us against foreign crime, espionage and cyber-attacks. In reality, the act will destroy all opinions of dissent and limit criticisms of the ever expanding tentacles of big government. You will now be under the microscope of Obama and big brother. The act was met with seething disapproval from Republican FCC Commissioner Rob McDowell. McDowell said, “Nothing is broken in the Internet access market that needs fixing; the FCC does not have the legal authority to issue these rules; [and] the proposed rules are likely to cause irreparable harm.” Enough is enough! Republicans must make Congress execute their Congressional authority and oversight of the FCC. They need to rescind the FCC vote because the FCC does not have the Congressional or Constitutional authority to expand governmental regulation. China: A Model For New U.S. Internet Regulations China enforces strict internet censorship through 60 laws and countless draconian administrative regulations. These laws gag critical opinions, corruption exposes and speech that protest their government. The communist country employs 50,000 people who act as internet police, scouring the internet for offenders to punish. Comments on blogs and internet forums that question Chinese propaganda are wiped out within minutes by the internet police. I can just imagine Obama appointing a new internet czar and thousands of new anti-free speech government workers to police the internet. The FCC Does Not Have The Authority To Expand Governmental Regulation TELL CONGRESS TO RESCIND THE FCC VOTE! The new regulations will not only destroy free speech, but will also annihilate capitalism. Right now, the internet is the last true laissez-faire form of capitalism in our country. People can buy and sell what they want with little interference from the government. The internet also gives people the freedom to be innovative and set competitive pricing. Unlike our physical economy, the government has kept their sticky fingers from meddling with the internet until now. The new communist-style internet regulations will deter innovation, raise operating costs and ultimately raise consumer prices. Robert McDowell explained, "Congress has not given us the authority to do this. There really are no bounds to what the FCC could do, so long as it's done in the name of promoting the Internet in their view." He also said that potential ranges from price control to content control. We urgently need the help from patriots like you to put a stop to the liberal takeover of our internet. If we don’t stop them dead in their tracks, there will be no end to their freedom pillage. Time is running out. THIS IS NOT A FIGHT WE CAN AFFORD TO LOSE 1. Select Below To Tell Congress To Stop The Communist-Style Internet Takeover! The FCC Does Not Have The Authority To Expand Governmental Regulation TELL CONGRESS TO RESCIND THE FCC VOTE! 2. Send this Alert to EVERYONE you know and every like-minded friend on your personal email list who wants to stop the FCC from destroying the last form of laissez-fair capitalism. We need to get HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of faxes delivered to EACH AND EVERY Senator and Congressman 3. Keep calling your Senators today, toll free numbers include 1-877-851-6437 and 1-866-220-0044, or call 1-202-225-3121 AND REGISTER YOUR OUTRAGE! Demand Congress oppose the FCC's new internet regulations that put a gag on our right to free speech! 4. CALL President Obama, 202-456-1111 and 202-456-1414 expressing your disdain and ABSOLUTE REJECTION of his FCC's takeover of our internet. 5. Print this copy and pass it around where normal working class Americans gather who care about the future of our country. Polling data reveals that Americans do not want the government controlling the internet! DO NOT BE SILENCED - MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! NOTE: We need TENS OF THOUSANDS of faxes and PHONE CALLS and EMAILS delivered to the HOME OFFICES OF ALL CONGRESSMAN RIGHT AWAY! Your voice can be heard -- we need your urgent help at AmeriPAC. DONATE AND FAX NOW. Get my new book Black & Blue as my gift to you and the country, and say - "I'm As Mad As Hell, And I'm Not Gonna Take This Anymore!" Black & Blue: How Obama And The Democrats Are Beating Up The Constitution The compelling story of how the Obama Administration and progressive Democrats are warping and contradicting the Constitution to make it fit with their radical agenda. The book covers Barack Obama's Chicago and Saul Alinsky days were he learned to "game the system" to bypass the rule of law. The book details how the progressive Democrats use groups like Acorn to gain power to force their socialism on the American people. Defend America, Alan M. Gottlieb Chairman, AmeriPAC If you prefer to send a check, please mail to: American Political Action Committee (AmeriPAC) PO Box 1682 Dept Code 1245-p-cch Bellevue, WA 98009-1682 Paid for by AmeriPAC, a federally-authorized and qualified multicandidate political action committee. Contributions to AmeriPAC will be used in connection with federal elections. Maximum contribution per individual per calendar year is $5,000. Contributions from foreign nationals and corporations are prohibited. Contributions are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.

Forward this Email to a Friend

Communicate if Your Government Shuts Off Your Internet 

Egypt shutdown worst in Internet history: experts