The Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act

[Supertrader]

This doesn't bode well in my book.

President Obama will be handed the power to shut down the Internet for at least four months without Congressional oversight if the Senate votes for the infamous Internet ‘kill switch’ bill, which was approved by a key Senate committee yesterday and now moves to the floor.

The Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, which is being pushed hard by Senator Joe Lieberman, would hand absolute power to the federal government to close down networks, and block incoming Internet traffic from certain countries under a declared national emergency.

Despite the Center for Democracy and Technology and 23 other privacy and technology organizations sending letters to Lieberman and other backers of the bill expressing concerns that the legislation could be used to stifle free speech, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee passed in the bill in advance of a vote on the Senate floor.

In response to widespread criticism of the bill, language was added that would force the government to seek congressional approval to extend emergency measures beyond 120 days. Still, this would hand Obama the authority to shut down the Internet on a whim without Congressional oversight or approval for a period of no less than four months.

The Senators pushing the bill rejected the claim that the bill was a ‘kill switch’ for the Internet, not by denying that Obama would be given the authority to shut down the Internet as part of this legislation, but by arguing that he already had the power to do so.

They argued “That the President already had authority under the Communications Act to “cause the closing of any facility or station for wire communication” when there is a “state or threat of war”, reports Sydney Morning Herald.

Fears that the legislation is aimed at bringing the Internet under the regulatory power of the U.S. government in an offensive against free speech were heightened further on Sunday, when Lieberman revealed that the plan was to mimic China’s policies of policing the web with censorship and coercion.

“Right now China, the government, can disconnect parts of its Internet in case of war and we need to have that here too,” Lieberman told CNN’s Candy Crowley.

While media and public attention is overwhelmingly focused on the BP oil spill, the establishment is quietly preparing the framework that will allow Obama, or indeed any President who follows him, to bring down a technological iron curtain that will give the government a foot in the door on seizing complete control over the Internet.

As we have illustrated, fears surrounding cybersecurity have been hyped to mask the real agenda behind the bill, which is to strangle the runaway growth of alternative and independent media outlets which are exposing government atrocities, cover-ups and cronyism like never before.

Indeed, China uses similar rhetoric about the need to maintain “security” and combating cyber warfare by regulating the web, when in reality their entire program is focused around silencing anyone who criticizes the state.

The real agenda behind government control of the Internet has always been to strangle and suffocate independent media outlets who are now competing with and even displacing establishment press organs, with websites like the Drudge Report now attracting more traffic than many large newspapers combined. As part of this war against independent media, the FTC recently proposing a “Drudge Tax” that would force independent media organizations to pay fees that would be used to fund mainstream newspapers.

The Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act

[BadThad]

Indeed, more and bigger government, another step towards all out socialism/communism. A big thanks to all the ignorant voters that put all these clowns in office.

[Charles_Darwin]

No sh*t. I love my country, but our government needs an enema. If there isn't any sort of radical change for the better in the next 10 to 20 years, or if we start going down hill fast(er), I will be moving to another country who's government is more worthy of my tax dollars. If Ron Paul runs in 2012 he will have my vote. Hopefully he runs as an independent so he makes it passed the primary. If Jesse Ventura can do it, Ron Paul can do it. Hell, I'd like to see Paul/Ventura 2012. The mainstream dems and reps have had their chances, but they keep fu*king everything up. Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Time for something new IMO.

[BadThad]

Amen to that brother!

[Enigmatic_Annasawzi]

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha I had a feeling this was coming back in 01, after 9/11, China had theres around 00'. It doesn't matter if they have a kill switch or not, their looking at the whole thing all wrong. It won't work.

Hell they could make the internet pay to search, pay to play, no longer free, doesn't mean they'll end the days of piracy. They'll just inflame the one's who don't believe inflated price tags for movies, games, and such, are good. For example, on most free2play mmo's(microtransactions/micro-rape-your=wallets), people inflate the actual value on items to make bank.

The oldest trick in the book doesn't fix anything, it just add's on to the need to rebel even more. the pro's and con's of such things, will they'll have a way to control the flow of information, the con, they'll be declaring war on the Ninja Generation. That's bad news bears, people can only take so much bs from morons, they vote into charge.

EA