This page was last updated on February 2, 2011.
Could the U.S. cut off the Internet?; Geofry Lawton; Beaver County Times; February 2, 2011.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“According to reports, Egypt has shut down large portions of the Internet in response to widespread protests opposing the president.
“The United States has rightly denounced this as a violation of the human right to free speech.
“However, at the same time, Congress is considering a bill proposed by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, that would give the president that exact same power. Of course, this is a bill aimed at preserving national security from threat of cyber-terrorism. This power is much more likely to be abused than actually needed because the resources it would take to produce a national cyber-crisis are simply so vast.”
[RWC] Actually, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I/D-CT) proposed this (S. 3480) during the previous (111th) Congress and Ms. Collins was one of two cosponsors. As of 2/2/11, the bill has not been reintroduced in the current (112th) Congress.
“Simply put, this is not a necessary measure. Individuals already know the Internet can be a dangerous place. If they feel threatened, they can unplug. If the government’s systems are under attack, by all means, unplug yourself.
“However, a power that can be so easily abused for political reasons should not be entrusted to any man, even an American president. Please call your senators and oppose this bill.”
© 2004-2011 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.