Comment #7

konane — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 20:57:51 GMT

Have a better one for you ... just ran across this today. "YouTube - U.S. GOV can kill ANYONE including YOU without trial COVERTLY !! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRGlAjBSlec

Comment #6

reddog — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 20:56:23 GMT

As long as he is getting good apps like Golf, he won't inforce it,,,,,yet.

Comment #5

reddog — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 20:53:15 GMT

Obama must really have a hard on for that Blackberry phone of his.

Comment #4

konane — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 16:41:44 GMT

Thanks Rick! I agree .... the nation was founded on freedom. One reason they're shoving amnesty down our throats to outvote the rest who know what our Constitution provides for.

Comment #3

Rick G — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 16:25:00 GMT

@sully16: Save your energy for the tar and feathers party.

Comment #2

konane — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:06:07 GMT

Thanks Sully! Agree it's wrong. Take it easy .... JAP's probably cutting his grass. lol

Comment #1

sully16 — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:59:42 GMT

this is wrong, I don't have the energy today....

Original Blog Entry: "Obama internet 'kill switch' bill approved

konane — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:18:31 GMT

Obama internet 'kill switch' bill approved

ASHER MOSES

Source Sidney Morning Herald

June 25, 2010

The architect of the bill ... US Senator Joe Lieberman. Photo: AP

The US senators pushing a controversial new bill that some fear would give President Barack Obama the powers to seize control of and even shut down the internet have rejected claims it would give Obama a net kill switch .

The bill, titled Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, has been unanimously approved by the US Homeland Security committee and will be put to a vote on the Senate floor shortly.

Lobby groups and academics quickly rounded on the bill, which seeks to grant the President broad emergency powers over the internet in times of national emergency.

Any internet firms and providers must immediately comply with any emergency measure or action developed by a new section of the US Department of Homeland Security, dubbed the National Centre for Cybersecurity and Communications .

The critics said that, rather than combat terrorists, it would actually do them the biggest favour ever by terrorising the rest of the world, which is now heavily reliant on cyberspace.

Australian academics criticised the description in the bill's title of the internet as a US national asset , saying any action would disrupt other countries as most of the critical internet infrastructure is located in the US.

This week, 24 privacy and civil liberties groups sent a letter raising concerns about the legislation to the sponsors, including that it could limit free speech and free inquiry, Computerworld reported.

We are concerned that the emergency actions that could be compelled could include shutting down or limiting internet communications, the letter reads.

But the architects of the plan, committee chairman Senator Joe Lieberman and Senator Susan Collins, have this week released a Myth v. Reality document that hits back at these criticisms.

They say the threat of a catastrophic cyber attack is real and not a matter of if but when . Cyber crime was also costing the US economy billions of dollars annually and the bill would modernise the government's ability to safeguard the nation's cyber networks from attack and will establish a public/private partnership to set national cyber security priorities .

The senators rejected the kill switch claim, arguing that the President already had authority under the Communications Act to cause the closing of any facility or station for wire communication when there is a state or threat of war .

They said under the new bill the President would be far less likely to use the broad authority he already has under current law to take over communications. It would provide a precise, targeted and focused way for the President to defend our most sensitive infrastructure .

Any action would be limited to 30-day increments and the President must use the least disruptive means feasible to respond to the threats. Action extended beyond 120 days would need Congressional approval.

The bill would not give the President the authority to take over the entire internet, target specific websites or conduct electronic surveillance.

Only specific systems or assets whose disruption would cause a national or regional catastrophe would be subject to the bill's mandatory security requirements, the senators wrote.

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/obama-internet-kill-switch-bill-approved-20100625-z8sf.html

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