From the article: Cybersecurity Act of 2009
A bill introduced on April 1st would grant the President fairly broad, sweeping powers to order critical infrastructure systems shut down in the interests of national security. Based on the wording of the bill it seems that the President could actually order private and public networks including Internet service providers to shut down. Do you think the President should have that authority? Under what circumstances might national security require such broad powers? Share your opinion on the role of government in protecting our infrastructure and the scope of the authority they should have.
Cybersecurity Act of 2009
- To quote a song writer - "If we want hell than hells what we'll have" - welcome to loss of freedom socialist land . We voted in hell
- —Guest Bill
Presidential Authority To Shut Down Net
- Absolutely another attempt to suppress our freedoms even more than they are now. This bill needs to be killed off. Do you see what is happening here? If not, you better wake up and smell the coffee!
- —BillCody
interested party
- NO! We should not grant one person that type of power; we have too many IT areas that are critical to the national security to hand to one person.
- —Guest glenn
Very Scary
- In times of distress and national emergencies, people will turn to the Internet to find news, learn about rescue efforts, find local hospitals or shelters. Shutting down the Internet would only sever a major communications channel for broadcasting essential information, leaving all of us in a more precarious situation.
- —Guest zenosf
Worldwide Web?
- I understand the basics of this bill however, it being the world wide web, how can one country have the authority to shut it down? Will this leads to other nations adopting the same procedures? What is to happen when terrorist countries decide they can do the same?
- —Guest Jerry
Too much Power
- I would question the need to ever use this power. It should be very clearly spelled out. Does current law give the president the right to stop all telephone lines in the US? Close down all New Print? What is the difference? The internet not only supplies communication, but is today a major news outlet. Obama and his staff must remember that as they add powers the next president can use them.
- —Guest NoAuthority
Not Just One Person
- I understand the need to shut down criminal sites. But it should be executed like Search Warrants - via a panel of judges. Therefore, one person would not have complete control and decision making authority.
- —operationstech
Absolutely Not
- The Internet is a communication tool. This would be akin to the President having the power to gag each and every one of us with a rag.
- —timfisher
Not Unreasonable, but Scary
- A scary thought. My first instinct was that it made no sense, but as I think about it more, it seems like an extension of Presidential powers to the web, which seems reasonable and a modern approach to security questions (and probably not unlike emergency powers already in place). I'd think, though, that the language of the bill would need to be very specific and clear about what kind of threats would rise to this level. Either way, though, the idea that one person could, with the stroke of a pen, control the country's web connection and presence is pretty scary.
- —SamCostello