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The “Obama Kill Switch” – Communicating in Times of Conflict
Should President Obama have access to a "kill switch" for the Internet?
If you’ve been following the news coming out of Egypt the past few days, you know that Internet access in the protest-filled nation has been severely limited. As of today, according to Computerworld, “Egypt is now off the grid.” They write, “Four days after the Egyptian government ordered Internet service providers to disconnect from the Internet, the country’s last working Internet company has abruptly vanished from cyberspace.”
Here in the U.S., there’s a piece of legislation on the table, drafted by Senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins, that would offer President Obama a “kill switch,” effectively allowing him to shut down the Internet during a national emergency. Brandon Milhorn, counsel for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, says, ”We’re not trying to mandate any requirements for the entire Internet, the entire Internet backbone… (just the) crucial components that form our nation’s critical infrastructure.” Meaning, theoretically, that websites like Twitter would still be accessible – you know, should there be an uprising over the constitutionality of healthcare reform, let’s say.
Twitter is currently blocked in Egypt, even via text and Twitter mobile. But “thanks to some philanthropic engineers at Twitter, Google, and SayNow (a company Google recently acquired), Egyptians can dial a free number and leave a voicemail that will automatically tweet out,” Business Insider reports. You can listen to voice mails being sent from Egypt on the Speak2Tweet feed.
As I’ve been watching the events in Egypt unfold nightly on CNN, I keep thinking how incredible it is that we live in such an era of global communication, but how frightening it must be for those living here and around the world trying to keep tabs on their relatives in Egypt. As CBS notes in their piece about the Lieberman-Collins bill, “Civil libertarians and some industry representatives have repeatedly raised concerns about the various proposals to give the executive branch such broad emergency power,” and I can’t help but feel similarly, especially since “the revised version includes new language saying that the federal government’s designation of vital Internet or other computer systems shall not be subject to judicial review.” It’s one thing to aim to protect national security and another to try to deny citizens access to communication tools in times of crisis.
What do you think? Does the idea of an Obama kill switch scare you?
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Image: Button via http://www.turnofftheinternet.com/
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ChiLaura commented on Jan 31 11 at 10:27 pmHeck, yes, it scares me! It should scare *everyone*! “Not subject to judicial review”? We have one branch of our three-branch government, consisting of one man, deciding what exactly is vital? This is surreal.
If this were a Republican president suggesting the same, the press and everyone else would (rightfully!) be screaming bloody murder, police state, etc. Where’s the outcry against Obama? And regardless of who proposes or signs the bill, I’d be curious to know how any freedom-loving American can defend this kill switch…?
Congrats, Carolyn, for posting the only Obama-skeptical article I’ve seen on babble! Wow!
carolyncastiglia commented on Jan 31 11 at 10:35 pmHa. Thanks, ChiLaura. To be fair, it’s not Obama’s idea, really, and I don’t know how he feels about it. It’s a bi-partisan bill. But yeah, it’s no good.
ChiLaura commented on Jan 31 11 at 10:55 pmBipartisan because of Susan Collins? [major eye roll] RINO! She may as well wear a “D” after her name, admit it. LOL =)
Zbigniew Brzezinski commented on Feb 01 11 at 1:01 am@ Carol, Not Obama’s idea? You watch and see – Obama will embrace the Internet Kill-Switch like a long lost son. (R) Collins introduced it. But it hardly matters both parties are a**holes. All Hail Kill-Switch-Obama!
Keefers-Tx commented on Feb 01 11 at 6:33 amTake our internet away :-/ ? What’s next? Our guns?
Gretchen Powers commented on Feb 01 11 at 8:10 amI don’t know how ANY American could possibly think this is a good bill!
Vernon Todd commented on Feb 03 11 at 6:55 pmI would love for America to have an Obama Kill Switch! ;-P
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