Internet kill switch bill comes forth in the middle of Egyptian unrest

“Internet kill switch” is the dramatic catch phrase describing a bill in Congress to strengthen United States cybersecurity. The public barely noticed the Internet kill switch-or the “Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010″-when it was introduced within the U.S. Senate in June 2010. The so-called Internet kill switch bill was reintroduced just as the Egyptian government shut down the Internet nationwide in an effort to stifle dissent. The huge pay day loan that people would take out to stop this from occurring in America could be ridiculous. Source for this article – The Internet kill switch and why it would never work in the U.S. by MoneyBlogNewz.

A web kill switch bill for U.S. Senate

the idea of a Web kill switch is one in which the Homeland Security Department is able to control cybersecurity with a created White House office of cyberspace. Senator Lieberman, I-Conn., launched in June the Safeguarding Cyberspace as part of the National Asset Act of 2010. The legislation was drafted specifically to protect, from cyber terrorism, the economic infrastructure of the Internet. This is what Lieberman was protecting from. The 111th Congress stopped the Internet kill switch bill. This was after it was approved with the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and governmental Affairs Committee.

Take into consideration the First Amendment with the Internet kill switch consideration

The Republican on the Homeland Security committee, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, brought back the Internet kill switch bill. After Egypt put restrictions on Internet service, the bill became a more serious concern for free speech supporters. There was a comment from a Homeland Security spokesperson that said infrastructure is protected from cyber attack with the bill. This includes e-commerce and public utilities. The bill includes provisions forbidding any violation of the First Amendment.

It would be extremely hard within the United States to do what Egypt has done

Access to infrastructure can be stopped with an executive order from the president if a threat is perceived with the Internet kill switch bill. This is very controversial though. The U.S. would not be able to get that passed though. It is hard to pass something like that. In Egypt, the government owns the ISP, Telecom Egypt. The federal government would not be able to control the ISPs if there was a cyber attack within the U.S. The government will slowly have a worse and worse time trying to control the Internet in the U.S. considering it’s getting more complex. If a Web kill switch ever existed, chances are it would never work.

Articles cited

Wired

wired.com/threatlevel/2011/01/kill-switch-legislation/

PC Magazine

pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2376888,00.asp

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/41320309/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/