Thread: Burning books or shutting the internet?

Whats the difference

I heard just now that they are bringing a bill to the floor of the senate to give Obama the authority to shut down the internet for some perceived emergency if he sees fit.

Or to SHUT UP HIS OPPOSITION

Where did you hear this? I can't see it happening, too many business rely on the internet. This would put many business' in the toilet.

This has been kicked around for weeks now

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 communicationâ€

Originally Posted by MontereySherry

I can't see it happening, too many business rely on the internet. This would put many business' in the toilet.

Isn't the net censored in China and some other nations? If it can be done there it surely could be done here. Any shut down would not be the entire internet. It could be as simple as any site the SPLC deems to be "Hate Speech" is blocked.

We'd be gone!