This is why I don’t like net neutrality or any bill that gives government oversight of the internet.
Internet 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.
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.
Ok, so there is an emergency, they “disconnect” parts of the US internet from the rest of the world or from themselves…. What does that accomplish? It sounds like a government mandated DDoS. Something hackers would love to have in their pocket.
By the time the government figured out there was a problem the number of infected machines would be so great that it wouldn’t matter anyway. This is another example of well intentioned people not knowing what the fuck they are talking about, and taking guidance from some K street clowns.
On the positive side…we really do need to reduce dependence on the best effort Internet. SCADA and government nets should be isolated from public internet traffic with MPLS or similar technology anyway. We probably should consider having a “priority internet” like we have for POTS telephone, its called GETS and provides priority access to the public phone network during emergency.
The troubling issue here is that this bill puts the power in the hands of one person the President, no checks no balances.
Remember your Jr High Civics class..
we are a Constitutional Republic with 3 branches if we need to make a defense decision in a hurry we have
Article II, Section 2, Clause I of the United States Constitution which provides that the President:…shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States.
Our modern wired small world is blurring of the distinction between the President’s civil and military responsibilities in times of crisis. If any of us internet people have a good plan to give the government the proper amount of power at such times and not feel the hand of big brother lets here it. Now’s the time post it here and right to your representatives lets get a good bill on the desk.
pedro oh Great Score Keeper and Guilherme if its left its wrong and hae that looks like a penis — give us your outline for a bill that would give immediate power to protect the web but not upset our freedom to communicate.
Article II, Section 2, Clause I of the United States Constitution shall provide
The Republican President shall have power to declare a “cybersecurity emergency”.
The Republican President shall have power to do what’s necessary to respond to the threat.
There should be seperate, but equal, physical internet backbones that have connection points which are quickly and easily severed during a national emergency. These physical networks would be defined by their intended users: government, commercial data, entertainment and telephony data, educational and university data.
The government has no need for the collective bandwidth of the entire infrastructure during a national emergency.
The only reason for the government to take control of the Internet during an emergency is to prevent the distribution of conflicting information and instructions. If there was a direct channel to the people, outside the bounds of the Internet, then confusion and misinformation would be minimized.
In Israel, during national emergencies, the cell phone network is shut down.
Funny, the usual suspects/apologists aren’t posting in this thread.
You know, the same ones who kept harping that George Bush was going to come up with some emergency in order to suspend the Constitution and stay in office.
Now Obomba wants to go farther and still they are silent. Hmmmm, lost all credibility much.
# 37 Mr Diesel,
Hum, and what are those “usual suspects/apologists” who aren’t posting?
Is there a reason you are being coy?
Names please.
The Internet was specifically designed so that no one could ever control it, it cannot be censored, it cannot be stopped, it is an entity with a life of it’s own and no one, not any company, not any government, has any way to stop what’s being said from spreading far and wide.
I don’t care if it’s Bush or Obama, both would be facing complete failure if they attempted to do something of this nature, they’d have to declare a police state nationwide and cut all phone lines out of the country to have any luck whatsoever in pulling this off.
I go with #2 and #3. I sort of think Obama and the Dems have been taking lessons from the KGB. At least some of their views on free speech seem the same. There FCC guy would fit right in.
#8 I had hoped that Obama would fix some of the things Shrub messed up but so far it looks like he’s added a train train wreck to a ten car pile up if you get my drift.
His friends and supports seem to have the belief that you agree with them or you are a bunch of stupid hick fascists/raciest who should shut up and let their betters make all the choices.
On the other hand some of them are big fans of Carl Marx, Chey Guevra, and the present President of Venezuela or at least they have been recorded on video saying so and in their published writings. I don’t see any not to take their word for it.
#40 pedro
NO COMMENT
# 38 noname said,
“# 37 Mr Diesel,
Hum, and what are those “usual suspects/apologists” who aren’t posting?
Is there a reason you are being coy?
Names please.”
I just didn’t know you well enough to call you names…..
# 43 Mr Diesel,
You just so cute:
“just didn’t know you well enough to call you names…”
# 40 pedro,
I am so glad to see you and John get along so well, kissing cousins maybe.
Government Plans to Turn on Your TV, Radio and Cellphone in Emergency Alert (August 24, 2004) http://tinyurl.com/n4n3sq
“CMAS would provide text alerts from authorized federal, state and local agencies to cellular devices as well as to radio and television.” August 5, 2009) http://tinyurl.com/kmm6w5
It’s old news. The system of emergency warnings is old and broken and it appears that most of you don’t want an unbiased and official warning of any emergency. Seems like a dumb wish to me.
Polishing, cleaning and oiling my AK47.Check. Counting sorting and stacking the ammo cases. Check.Stacking and inventorying the MRE’s. Check.
Just about ready…..
It’s funny how conservatives CHEERED when the Bush Admin. spied on our email and phone calls but then are all worried, now.
I haven’t read the bill but, in principle, I don’t see how this is different than any other emergency special authority.
If there ever is a massive cyber attack on the US, we would want the government to shut down a specific problematic network if needed.
_BUT_ it needs to be done with court oversight, limited-time authority and full transparency after the initial crisis has ended.
The Bush administration’s domestic spying on us had none of that.
What really disturbs me is that it seems every week, Glen Beck is looking less and less insane.
And that’s very troubling.
# 48 Greg Allen,
Well said!
#37
Mr Diesel why do you say “Obama wants to go farther” this bill is not his doing did not come from his Whitehouse and he hasn’t said if he would or wouldn’t sign it.
Do you suggest we have no national plan to protect our electronic infrastructure? That would leave valuable our web communications, water, electricity, banking, traffic lights, electronic health records ect.
Don’t be fooled by Guilherme choice on photo to run with this story its not like Bush taking an end run around Congress and the Constitution. It’s just a bill headed up by Sen. Rockefeller getting the kind of debate it deserves.
that should read vulnerable not valuable
sorry
#48 Greg Allen
Funny, I’m conservative and I have been bitching about Bush’s failed policies that sacrificed freedoms for a little security.
I think you mean Republican, don’t confuse one with the other.
Best post of the day.
“His friends and supports seem to have the belief that you agree with them or you are a bunch of stupid hick fascists/raciest who should shut up and let their betters make all the choices.”
That sure sums up the current administration.
Ah_Yea
please list examples of why you think his administration is any different in this way than Bush 41, Bush 43, Clinton, Reagan or any for that matter.
ya it sucks to not have your party in charge
remember this idea that Obama is behind this is Guilherme deception. Creation of this bill has nothing to do with Obama Every one who posted about this being evidence of the evils of the Obama Administration have been fooled.
#55 Sure this is a Bush bill that somehow was brought upon to Obama. Can you be any lamer?
#55 Sure, this is a Bush bill that somehow was brought upon to Obama Can you be any lamer?
#55 Sure, this is a Bush bill that somehow was brought upon to Obama. Can yoube any lamer?
#55 Sure, this is a Bush bill tht somehow was brought upon to Obama. Can you be any lamer?
#55 Sure, this is Bush bill that somehow was brought upon to Obama. Can you be any lamer?
#55 Sure, this i s a Bush bill that somehow was brought upon to Obama. Can you be any lamer?
Change you can believe in.
#56-62
I never said it was a Bush bill I don’t think anyone said that.
I see you have a reading comprehension problem, as a dyslectic I can relate to how hard that must be for you. Glad that’s not my issue good luck with it.
Just so you understand read this one slowly.
The idea that Obama is behind this is Guilherme deception. Creation of this bill has nothing to do with Obama. It’s about protecting our national critical web infrastructure. Having that setup in advance so no future Presidents can go all Bush like and just do what they want sounds like a good idea. Write your Representatives if you have some good ideas to contribute.
Maybe you could get someone to read the linked cnet story to you out loud.
The US is about 5 years behind Britain’s push for complete fascist control of the country and its populace. The big test for the US Government will be mandatory swine flu immunization. If they can force every citizen in the US to get the shot, then it’s over for us. Get ready for the international lock down.