The Internet “Kill Switch”

 

A new bill sponsored by Senator Joe Lieberman would give the president the authority to “seize control of or even shut down portions of the Internet,” according to CNET. This essentially gives the president a “kill switch” on the internet during times of emergency.

Not only does Lieberman’s bill extend presidential powers, it also creates a new agency inside the Homeland Security Department called the National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications. The bill would mandate that the new agency would include “no less” than two deputy directors, and liaison officers to the Defense Department, Justice Department, Commerce Department, and the Director of National Intelligence. Maybe this is the type of job creation Joe Lieberman wants?

The Lieberman bill is titled the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, or PCNAA. The bill would require private companies to share information with the federal government, but it would also grant immunity to the government.

 The United States would not be the only country to give the head of state the power to shut off the internet. We would join alongside countries like China and Iran who in the past have restricted the internet from their citizens. This bill seems to be a part of a larger scheme for more regulations and control of the internet by the federal government.

Say no to Joe, call your Senators and tell them NOT to support the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act.