Bill would give president emergency control of Internet

[stephanie]

SNIP:

links in article

by Declan McCullagh Font size Print E-mail Share 19 comments Yahoo! BuzzInternet companies and civil liberties groups were alarmed this spring when a U.S. Senate bill proposed handing the White House the power to disconnect private-sector computers from the Internet.

They're not much happier about a revised version that aides to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, have spent months drafting behind closed doors. CNET News has obtained a copy of the 55-page draft (excerpt), which still appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency.

The new version would allow the president to "declare a cybersecurity emergency" relating to "non-governmental" computer networks and do what's necessary to respond to the threat. Other sections of the proposal include a federal certification program for "cybersecurity professionals," and a requirement that certain computer systems and networks in the private sector be managed by people who have been awarded that license.

"I think the redraft, while improved, remains troubling due to its vagueness," said Larry Clinton, president of the Internet Security Alliance, which counts representatives of Verizon, Verisign, Nortel, and Carnegie Mellon University on its board. "It is unclear what authority Sen. Rockefeller thinks is necessary over the private sector. Unless this is clarified, we cannot properly analyze, let alone support the bill."

Representatives of other large Internet and telecommunications companies expressed concerns about the bill in a teleconference with Rockefeller's aides this week, but were not immediately available for interviews on Thursday.

A spokesman for Rockefeller also declined to comment on the record Thursday, saying that many people were unavailable because of the summer recess. A Senate source familiar with the bill compared the president's power to take control of portions of the Internet to what President Bush did when grounding all aircraft on Sept. 11, 2001. The source said that one primary concern was the electrical grid, and what would happen if it were attacked from a broadband connection.


read it all..
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10320096-38.html

[Gaffer]

They want to control our access. Silence all decent. This does not surprise me.

[avatar4321]

why exactly do we need the government to do anything when the internet is working fine as it is? Why should we allow them to do this???

[Gaffer]

why exactly do we need the government to do anything when the internet is working fine as it is? Why should we allow them to do this???

Why was it necessary for them to "transform" our government when it was working fine before. Anything they can get control of, they will. The internet is a threat to their power and control, therefore it must be controlled by them.

[Noir]

Beat me to the punch, was about to post the story,

Aide: "Sir another Warcraft fag has called you a nigger"
Obama: "Right, that's it, I'm taking over the interwebz"

Anyways who is this Bill guy?

[red states rule]

Just thought, Obama could easily declare, or "manufacture" a cybert threat/breach, declare an emergency, thus shut out all internet communications, emails, social networks, right before the mid term lections?

After what Dems have said and done in the last 8 months - it would not surprise me if this would happen

[Gaffer]

They are going to be mad now RSR. How dare you expose their plans.

Disrupting your enemies communication is the first target in any war. Then feed them false information. No radio, no internet. Only television showing you the evil conservatives and the governments efforts to humanely control them. All starting no later than next year.

[Insein]

They are going to be mad now RSR. How dare you expose their plans.

Disrupting your enemies communication is the first target in any war. Then feed them false information. No radio, no internet. Only television showing you the evil conservatives and the governments efforts to humanely control them. All starting no later than next year.

I know he's only going to be president for 4 years, but can we survive it?

[Gaffer]

I know he's only going to be president for 4 years, but can we survive it?

No we can't. Look what he's done in 6 months.

The 2010 elections are going to be fixed. That will be the final slap in the face to the people. Of course he will have everything in place by then. Any crisis that enables him to declare marshal law will be the start of the civil war.

[Monkeybone]

No we can't. Look what he's done in 6 months.

The 2010 elections are going to be fixed. That will be the final slap in the face to the people. Of course he will have everything in place by then. Any crisis that enables him to declare marshal law will be the start of the civil war.

I would think that a bloody revolution would be the last thing that is needed or wanted.

[Noir]

I just wana know what sort of crisis is gonna be needed to mean he needs control of the nets,

Extract Obamas Book of OMG WTF is I gonna do?

Chapter One; The internets, kittens and p0rn
As the followig examples show, all of life problems can be solved by application of the above 3, so chillax, kick back, and tuck into some juicy watermellon, it's all gonna be fine.

Common Crisis examples;
(a)'Troop moral at an all time low? Take over the interwebz and send the troops kittens and p0rn, all will be fine'

(b)'Another high school shooting? Take over the interwbz and send the kids kittens and p0rn, all will be fine'

[namvet]

nJnJKE8kkmM

let Joe do it. he needs the work

[Gaffer]

I would think that a bloody revolution would be the last thing that is needed or wanted.

It is the last thing needed or wanted. That doesn't mean it won't happen. I didn't need or want to see him in office. It happened anyway.

When talking gets you nowhere and legal means are corrupted and useless, then you have to resort to other means.

His civilian defense force is already in the making using unions, acorn and muslims. Take note of this for the future. Things will slowly escalate as more and more people come forward in protest. His goons will make sure there is plenty of violence.

[Monkeybone]

It is the last thing needed or wanted. That doesn't mean it won't happen. I didn't need or want to see him in office. It happened anyway.

When talking gets you nowhere and legal means are corrupted and useless, then you have to resort to other means.

His civilian defense force is already in the making using unions, acorn and muslims. Take note of this for the future. Things will slowly escalate as more and more people come forward in protest. His goons will make sure there is plenty of violence. From what I have seen, I think that they want violence. it will give them an excuse to have a crackdown and such. "see..we have to protect you from these crazies" :tinfoil:

[Gaffer]

From what I have seen, I think that they want violence. it will give them an excuse to have a crackdown and such. "see..we have to protect you from these crazies" :tinfoil:

Your most definitely right. See Mussolini's rise to power. That was exactly the tactics he used.

We're damned if we do and damned if we don't.

[SassyLady]

I just wana know what sort of crisis is gonna be needed to mean he needs control of the nets,

Extract Obamas Book of OMG WTF is I gonna do?

Chapter One; The internets, kittens and p0rn
As the followig examples show, all of life problems can be solved by application of the above 3, so chillax, kick back, and tuck into some juicy watermellon, it's all gonna be fine.

Common Crisis examples;
(a)'Troop moral at an all time low? Take over the interwebz and send the troops kittens and p0rn, all will be fine'

(b)'Another high school shooting? Take over the interwbz and send the kids kittens and p0rn, all will be fine'

Crisis - 9/12 Tea Parties where radical right wing demonstrations against the government would be a strong possibility.