Kill Switch Bill

On June 19, 2010, Senator Joe Lieberman introduced a bill called “Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010.” The bill was designed to protect against “significant” cyber threats before they cause damage, and had bipartisan support. The media called it the Kill Switch Bill. Other portions of the bill were based around the establishment of an Office of Cyberspace Policy and on its missions. The bill was quickly rejected due to granting the president excessive power, much like the communist nation of China. That being said, it caused enough controversy to kill the Kill Switch. But it was re-introduced to the senate on Friday. Strangely, the same day the Egyptians faced an Internet blackout.

It leaves a strong sense of dominance between the powers and its people when they try to control something as powerful as the Internet. It is the largest revolutionary tool of the people. The attempt to censor our biggest voice in any sense is absurd, and the reasons therefore are haphazard. I cannot think of one reason any form of government needs to manage the Internet besides for manipulation, and this is a cause for mistrust.

The timing of when the legislation would be re-introduced was not immediately clear, because they’re working out the kinks. No longer presented to blanket all of the internet, instead it would authorize the president to demand turning off access to so-called “critical infrastructure” where necessary. For example, “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 secure itself if it detected a threatening attack. 

This reminds me of wiretapping…