“Kill Switch” Bill Quietly Makes Its Way to Senate floor

posted at 2:26 pm on June 29, 2010 by Howard Portnoy

He may not have succeeded in slowing the rise of the oceans or providing jobs for the jobless. But if Congress passes the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, which quietly arrived on the floor of the Senate late last week, Barack Obama will have the power to shut down the Internet for at least four months without Congressional oversight.

Nicknamed the “kill switch” bill, the legislation would give the federal government the power to close down networks and block incoming Internet traffic from certain countries under a declared national emergency. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), the bill’s primary sponsor, told CNN that the bill is modeled on a law already on the books in China, which gives the government authority to “disconnect parts of its Internet in case of war.” Lieberman added, “[W]e need to have that here too.”

In an earlier incarnation, the bill gave the president unlimited control over the Internet “kill switch,” but the legislation was amended in the face of criticism and now requires that the president seek congressional approval to extend emergency measures beyond 120 days. Even so, the bill imbues the with president absolute authority to shut down the Internet without oversight for a period of no less than four months.

The Center for Democracy and Technology, a citizen watchdog group, has raised concerns that the legislation could be used to stifle free speech. The concern is not as large a leap as some on the left have contended. This is an administration that has already used the Internet as personal propaganda tool and had the effrontery to ask private citizens during the year-long health care reform debate to “report phony claims” about the legislation back to the government.

Obama has also tipped his hand in his hirings, which include Mark Lloyd, a self-professed admirer of dictator Hugo Chavez, to the newly formed position of Chief Diversity Officer at the Federal Communications Commission. In addition, the FTC under Obama recently proposed a “Drudge Tax,” which would require that independent media organizations to pay fees that would be used to fund mainstream newspapers, thereby “leveling the opinion playing field.” Obvious power grabs like these have been proposed in the name of cybersecurity, when in reality they are little more than thinly veiled efforts to control thought. Is Obama the sort of person you want at your computer’s power switch?

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