Could Egypt Happen Here? Obama's Internet "Kill Switch"

[harvey007]

Source: Fast Company

First it was Facebook. Then it was Twitter. Now, in the face of massive protests in the streets of Cairo and throughout the country, Egypt has pulled the plug on the entire Internet for its citizens. As this chart from Arbor networks shows, Internet traffic mounted steadily in Egypt steadily over several days, then suddenly and precipitously dropped to nil at 5:20 PM EST yesterday.

The US has condemned the move--in a tweet, no less.

Such a flagrant violation of communications--possible only in the less free corners of the world, right? But since last summer, when a Senate bill was introduced by Joe Lieberman, the US has been considering an Internet "kill switch" of its own. Full text of the bill, "Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset," can be found here. "For all of its 'user-friendly' allure, the Internet can also be a dangerous place with electronic pipelines that run directly into everything from our personal bank accounts to key infrastructure to government and industrial secrets," Lieberman said in June.

Read more: http://www.fastcompany.com/1721753/egypt-internet-kill-switch

[RKP5637]

1. Definitely it could to control the masses. ... just thinking about how the air waves

were jammed in other countries. Russia used to jam the air waves all the time. An Internet kill sw here could be basically the same - at minimal taking down selected sites - depending on how implemented.

[emulatorloo]

2. Why don't you change that to "Lieberman's Internet Kill Switch"

"when a Senate bill was introduced by Joe Lieberman, the US has been considering an Internet "kill switch" of its own.

[RKP5637]

3. +1, n/t

[emulatorloo]

6. Just learned it is Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x585155

I am calling my Senators on this. it is more Liebermann wingnuttery.

[RKP5637]

9. You're lucky. My senators could care less what I think. Despite the hype, the Internet

can be very fragile, especially if a gov. wants to take it down.

[harvey007]

10. DU rules require exact headline

[emulatorloo]

14. Really? because I see people post thread titles that are different

than article headlines all the time.

[No Elephants]

13. Maybe the U.S.'s kill switch. (Lieberman would not be the one to give the order; Obama may never

give it, even if he could.)

[freedomnorth]

4. They failed in Tunis

when Ben Ali failed to shutdown Internet.

[Safetykitten]

5. Of course it could. Why would anyone think otherwise?

[byronius]

7. What a misleading headline. You apparently hate that man.

The word 'Obama' is not in that article.

Great tactics. I call bullshit on you, friend.

[Ozymanithrax]

8. In the event of widespread unrest and rebelion...yes.

We would need to get a lot more people off their couches to reach that point.

[riverwalker]

11. the image

of the protestors literally tearing apart an armoured vehicle with their bare hands as they did today in Suez, will forever humble me.

[byronius]

12. All right, his name is there. Sorry to have impugned you.

I get tired of Obama as the bogey man. I really do. I don't buy it, and I knee-jerked at your headline, but it is the headline.

I apologize.

[blindpig]

15. The impact of gadgets is grossly overestimated

Sure, lots of people are using them and they certainly have been useful. But without the will of the people they are just hunks of plastic.
The 'kill switch' would be an inconvenience but nothing insurmountable if the people have the will.

[WinkyDink]

16. It's called "Obama's" because only the President could order it, and he happens to occupy the seat.