Proposed Bill Gives Obama Power to Shut Down Internet

[Mrsoupcup]

Obama would get killed if he actually did that.

 

[space_oddity]

"Any society that would sacrifice a little liberty to gain a little security would deserve neither and lose both"

So, so relevant.

 

[ThePoodonkis]

"Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither."
-Ben Franklin

Hard to believe that the founding fathers believed in what nobody in Congress now is capable of even comprehending.

 

[Jerious1154]

Secondly, Obama did not propose the bill. He has had nothing to do with the bill. I would not be overly surprised if he has not even heard of the bill. The bill was proposed by two Senators, one centrist Republican and one centrist Democrat. It has not yet been debated. You can't blame Obama for this, and you can't blame the US government for this, only two people.

Read the news. It doesn't say Obama proposed that bill. It only says what Obama could do if it had passed.

That's my point, it doesn't say that but many people are acting as if it does.

Thirdly, the bill does not give any power to Obama. I'm spacing right now on who actually gets the power to shut stuff down, but I saw it on one of the previous pages of this thread. Point is, it's not Obama.

This is Wrong [http://stonebytes.blogspot.com/2009/04/cybersecurity-act-of-2009-facts.html].
There is absolutely nothing cryptic about it.

The single other entity to have powers is the Secretary of Commerce, one single person put there by... the President.
Like you really believe he's going to tell the President "go fuck yourself."

My mistake. Like I said, I was spacing a little bit.

People need to calm down-- I personally think this bill is pointless, but it's definitely not an example of Obama moving us toward socialism or of the government taking away free speech, which seem to be the two most common ideas that people have.

People are talking about socialism like it's the next great evil. That's a tad narrow minded, don't you think?
The point is, all systems, capitalism, communism, socalism, etc.-ism have ugly sides, and although it's not necessarily a direct consequence of their respective tenets, up to this day, ALL of them have failed to give people the real power and sovereignty they deserve (notably control of the money they use, instead of being controlled by some elites living on Mount Olympos).

I'm not saying that Socialism is bad, I'm saying that this bill isn't an example of it. A lot of people have said things like "I'm not surprised, I always knew Obama was a Socialist". My point was that this bill isn't Obama's idea, and that it isn't a Socialist idea.

 

[traceur_]

That's actually pretty funny. What kind of emergency would need the internet to be stopped.

anyone read digital fortress? well the bit at the end would necessitate shutting down the internet, also if the guys at 4chan get a hold of missile launch codes we are fucked, so I would definitely want to shut down the web if that happened.

 

[Arkfeller]

Interesting to see what the rest of the world would do if this really came into place.

 

[CrafterMan]

Haha reminds me of that south park episode.

Ahhh, the tragedy.

 

[LeonLethality]

wow, thats just... wrong... insnt the internet the WORLD wide web how could one man just shut it down i dont think its fair... and like isnt there multiple internet networks? like rogers shaw, or is it shutting everything down from the core?

 

[MsDevin92]

Five dollars says this leads to soccer moms abusing the possible bill to get different websites shut down altogether...

 

[USSR]

..Down with this socialist bastard!

 

[Aegwadar]

That's actually pretty funny. What kind of emergency would need the internet to be stopped.

anyone read digital fortress? well the bit at the end would necessitate shutting down the internet, also if the guys at 4chan get a hold of missile launch codes we are fucked, so I would definitely want to shut down the web if that happened.

LOL, wouldn't that be a great picture... So many badass photoshops... 4chan with a missile.. HA

 

[PatientGrasshopper]

Truly scary, just another step closer to the world of 1984, which we are largely similar to already.

 

[hypothetical fact]

They can't shut down the internet for the world only for America. f a terrorist has managed to make America do that they will have certainly won. Either way I don't live in America so it's all good.

 

[mike1921]

..Down with this socialist bastard!

Agreed, I used to be on his side, but after this, fuck no.

 

[CoreofexisteNz]

lol

I still find it hilarious people can buy into the whole "the internet can be shutdown" crap

I mean, it was a system put in place for the preservation of information in the aftermath of a nuclear war

Obama's powers would be limited to "limiting" bandwidth within the US, just as china does on a daily basis

at the end of the day, it changes nothing.

 

[Specter_]

Oh wonderful. Further means for the US to police the world and it's free speech. Security is pointless unless it guarantees privacy, and is paramount upon the latter being preserved. Governments would do better to act on the needs of their people rather than their own fears of the people's dissent.

Well spoken.

 

[Sindre1]

This is why:

Obama has had it with you freakes!

 

[UtopiaV1]

THIS COMMENT WAS DELETED BY THE OFFICE OF NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY, AND THE USER HAS BEEN BANNED FROM ACCESS TO THE INTERNET IN THE UNITED STATES AND ALL AFFILIATE COUNTRIES. ANY INDIVIDUAL WHO DOES NOT AGREE WITH THE CYBERSECURITY ACT WHOLLY AND PATRIOTICALLY WILL BE SUBJECT TO CENSORSHIP AND POSSIBLE BARRING FROM ALL INTERNET WEBSITES AND TRAFFIC.

YOU WILL OBEY.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

This is just another retarded example of America thinking it is the most important country in the world.

Seconded.

 

[Gitsnik]

That's actually pretty funny. What kind of emergency would need the internet to be stopped.

anyone read digital fortress? well the bit at the end would necessitate shutting down the internet, also if the guys at 4chan get a hold of missile launch codes we are fucked, so I would definitely want to shut down the web if that happened.

Like hell it would. Infrastructure can survive the loss of NSA data facilities. Even if they are central command and control. Submersibles especially are capable of operating autonomously and without C&C for extended periods of time. Shutting down the internet just makes so-called "cyber defence" that much harder.

People are fear mongering - we're going to suffer worse from a Dark Angel-like "pulse" (also see "The Great Cyberwar of 2002" for a good read.

Shutting down the Internet is just a loud of crap so that they can have control. Ever since the Patriot Act various countries (specifically America) have been sacrificing their civil liberties in the name of "saving me from the evil internets and hax0rs" because people are just afraid.