What if they declare an internet emergency tomorrow? I mean, what if our internet was switched off . . . . . for weeks?

[PHILIP SCHNEIDER]

 

I had to think about this for a while before it became clear that we ***DO NOT*** want POLITICIANS in charge of our internet!

Tech at Night: Susan Collins, Queen of Denial

Posted by Neil Stevens (Profile)

Monday, January 31st at 11:30PM EST

I want to be very clear about the Internet Kill Switch plan. The plan by Susan Collins and Joe Lieberman has now passed the Democrat-controlled Senate Committee claims to be a grand venture for “Cybersecurity,” but the plain fact is the plan as written is unworkable as a security venture, but only works as a tool to let the government control or even destroy the internet.

Yes, just like in Egypt.

 

Susan Collins, Queen of Denial, claims her plan is nothing like what’s going on in Egypt because her motives are pure. I believe her motives are pure, but I also believe she simply doesn’t understand the issues at hand. Look at any map of the Internet and it becomes clear that the Internet is a huge network of networks, interconnected in countless ways. The Internet is designed to be robust and able to route around broken connections. That’s its job.

Susan “Cleopatra” Collins and Joementum would have us believe that it’s workable to give the President the authority to control every single link between the US and the rest of the world and in fact the authority to hit the kill switch upon a claim of emergency powers. They’d also have us believe that it’s nothing like what the President of Egypt did when, in fact, it’s exactly happened there. Hosni Mubarak declared an emergency threatening national security, and hit the kill switch. And now they want to give our own Barack the same powers.

Of course, the immediate threat in America isn’t some dictatorial coup. Much more likely is a simple mistake. America lived for decades quite uncomfortably under the threat of a hair trigger launch of the Soviet Union’s ICBMs. Do all of us who rely upon the global Internet to make our livings really want to live under the threat of a hair trigger cyberattack by our own government?

The fact is, pulling the plug is not a substitute for security. If we want to secure our networks then let us secure our networks. Replace legacy Microsoft Windows systems with hardened SELinux boxes. After all, we paid for the development of SELinux by the NSA. Audit all code running on government networks, and release that code to encourage the private sector to follow the government’s lead in security.

But giving the President of the United States the power to emulate a tyrant like Hugo Chavez or Hosni Mubarak is simply not an option in a free society that depends on the Internet as much as we do in America.

Anyway, it’s not like cybersecurity is something we’re having trouble dealing with now. Bayshore Networks points out that the so-called Anonymous thugs (who use 4chan as their mouthpiece and made Wikileaks their cause) are particularly easy to catch, even in other countries. We just need to up our efforts to start catching state-backed attackers, such as those that hit Google.

And speaking of Google, the chickens continue to come home to roost there as Search Neutrality lives on. I categorically oppose… [snicker] I mean, I absolutely denounce the idea of regulators [hee hee] imposing [ha ha] neutrality upon Google. I think [heh heh] Google would agree that the market should decide.

OK yes, we’re all going to get a great laugh at Google getting blowback from the Net Neutrality fight, in the form of more Search Neutrality fighting. But in the end we have to hope Google gets away without regulation, learns it lesson, and starts fighting innovation-killing regulation from now on.

 

Give me freedom!

[Sandra]

I know it is a difficult thing, many are on the social networking sites, I was on Facebook for awhile then got off it. Way to much info on there... Someplace I had read that our wonderful government was behind the creation of it. These days, not a lot surprises me... People need to be vrey careful and the young sure do not get it as yet. We are all better off below the radar as much as we can be. They know enough with the use of our debit/credit cards too. All that glitters isn't gold as the saying goes.

[PHILIP SCHNEIDER]

Thanks Sandra.

I didn't give FaceBook any personal info, I knew they'd share it. Other personal ID sites exist to pool personal data. We must learn to separate ourselves from the collection section.

[Sandra]

PS... It may take a lot of attempts, someone told me it took them 20 tries!

[Sandra]

Philip; The site called  www.spokeo.com  it's a new online USA phone book w/personal information: everything from pics you've posted on FB, your home address, parents' names, siblings' names, credit score, home value, income, age, telephone number, satellite views of your house. REMOVE yourself by searching your name, go to the bottom of the page and click on the Privacy button (a very small button!) and open that in a NEW window,copy the URL of your page (from your search), to remove yourself.

[PHILIP SCHNEIDER]

You think FaceBook is NOT sharing personal data with Obama and other nefarious groups???

Checkout     spokeo.com

You think Obama is above attacking those who question his will and policy?

Think again. Shutting off our Constituional right of free speech and free assembly is well within his mind set in controlling those who would spoil his party. Throwing the switch on the internet is just what he needs to stifle dissent.

[Sandra]

Katy;  Face book is monitored heavily by the government. Sometime ago, I read it was developed by them? I don;t know but it sure isn't private enough for me...

[Katy]

I have been worried that they would shut down this site.   We could all have a facebook account that links us without identifying this organization. 

[Sandra]

Call your Congressman and ask them NOT to pass any internet bill... I have...

[Sandra]

You can bet they are planing it! We have people in control that are anti American and anti Constitutional..  Better contact your congress critter, they are working on a bill right  now...