U.S. Government Proposes "Internet Kill Switch"

[ShaqLevick]

I couldn't disagree more, they have the largest empire in history, their military is the biggest organization on the globe.

I think a man named Genghis Khan would like a word with you.

If you said currently, I wouldn't have cared, but in history, sorry mate.

LOL, do you even know how many people were on the planet in the 1200's. The gross domestic product of the mongolian nation. Can you even fathom the craft it would take to occupy an actually inhabited Russia? Figurative map lines mean absolutely nothing if nobody lives there let alone if you've actually seen any of your borders... I believe I said in a later post that they conquered the bloody moon, and if you disagree with me on that feel free to go up there yourself and contest that. The Mongols, I mean really.

Yes really, and your argument doesn't hold water. As it stands, even by current times, they had the second largest empire in history, America is at about... The tenth I believe, this includes population, just so you know.

Oh, the moon. You can't really conquer a place when no one else is there. Not only that, but all they did was travel there, not lay claim and say "The moon now belongs to America." Not only that, but your statement about the moon contradicts itself a bit. You claim empty places and figurative lines don't mean anything, but the moon counts?

Sure it does, but beyond the silly moon junk, even though it's a land mass and even though the fact that people don't really live in the arctic everybody that stuck their flag in there thinks they're entitled. But military might is a huge factor and even though population size and economy may look great on paper I just have to consider all the underhanded political games that get played on a global scale. I figure if you choose a dictator to run a country he works for you (which would have been much more applicable in the 70's), control and influence over so many countries making competent decisions daily is more than Rome could have ever done. Regardless, based on the power and influence on a global scale it seems all too obvious. I can't imagine another nation in history that had so much impact on the entire planet, spanning from continent to continent, on such a daily basis as the US. Give that up to technology or of course communication and transportation if you wish, but the proof is in the pudding.

 

[Canid117]

Fuck Liebermen and fuck Obama in short. Isn't this sort of like something Nazis would do, cut off part of the country so that the other part doesn't know that while the Nazis are taking over half the land its planning on doing the other half next.

They didn't cut off or censor anything or claim they would do so, it's a proposal for a last resort security measure.

"Fuck" your liberal use of the "fuck" aimed at Obama who did NOT propose or sign this bill into law. In short "fuck" your ignorance and bigotry, and "fuck" your impolite attacks at a person who is not a party to the action you are complaining about.

Freedom of speech is a ***** but still a freedom (at this point) and I can point my anger and aggression to anyone I feel it is deserved thank you, so again fuck O-B-A-M-A and fuck Y-O-U. =D

P.S. I did not propose that Obama proposed or signed this bill into law, I just hate him as much as I do Lieberman.

You know the very best part of freedom of speech? When idiots do not actually understand it and look like a retard trying to explain it to others. Which winds up making them look even more stupid.

Besides, isn't freedom of speech a right in your country, not a freedom or liberty?

That isn't inventing that's improving. That's like saying the guy who wrote the Safari app invented the iPhone.

It's more akin to saying the guy who invented the first computer code above binary invented the computer. Sure, he didn't invent the hardware, but he made it usable.

Another analogy might be saying the person who invented the combustion engine invented petrol. He didn't, it would still have been around, but no where near as useful.

Give credit where it is due. I know it's hard for Americans, very broadly speaking; but without that little British Berners-lee, this webpage and the words you are typing would not exist. The internet is just the communication hardware, the World Wide Web is every single web page, every browser, and every page-hosting server.

Yes, the international network of communication cables may well still exist, but not to as great an extent, as it is likely that usage would have remained limited to government and research institutions, and so capacity would have had little need to increase.

Freedom of Speech is one of the five or so things covered in the first amendment of the constitution which only applies to government power and has no affect on the private sector. In short, Vigilantis has no idea what he is talking about. On the topic of Mr. Berners-Lee. I am not saying he shouldn't receive credit for his work. What I am saying is that His work was not to invent the internet but to make it better than it already was. The internet worked before Berners-Lee's work. It just didn't work as well as it does now. Your analogies deal with inventions that could not be used without the other inventions or discoveries. That isn't an entirely accurate depiction of the internet so I find my analogy a little more applicable. Not the most applicable in the world but slightly more so than the examples you gave.

 

[Uberpig]

What is Cyber-911?
What is the equivalent of terrorists taking over planes full of people and murdering everyone inside the World Trade Centre?
What is wrong with Joe Lieberman?

Well, we know the answer to the third question. He's a dick. As for the answers to questions 1 and 2, I don't think even he has the first clue.

 

[PrarieDog_319]

Now I'll have to go outside.

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

Wha-
Hmm. Now they're trying to take over the internet?
Good job US government, you are going to make people all over want to kick your asses.

 

[khaimera]

How will they plug up all those tubes?

 

[Atmos Duality]

SERIOUSLY? CYBER 9/11???
How is that fucking possible?? How? HOW?!!!!
You can't kill people through the internet! You can't even take control of the bloody thing for any amount of time!
Businesses will crash. People will lose their jobs. Panic will ensue. Our emergency services (why yes, those are routed to Denver via the internet) will come to a grinding halt as they fall back on analogue lines.

BUT AT LEAST CYBER OSAMA CANT ATTACK ANYONE.

Oh...and you have no privacy, no rights, nothing on the internet. It will be like in China.

BUT AT LEAST CYBER OSAMA CANT HURT YOU

Which asshole proposed this nonsense....

....Joe Lieberman??
Oh gawd...it all becomes clear.
I'm sorry. But that guy is officially off his fucking rocker. He's transcended stupid, and has gone into full blown delusional behavior.
Is this because he lost his war against video games and now he wants to take revenge on our generation by killing the Internet?

Well done asshole. I hope this becomes the epitaph for your political career, because you are clearly unfit for any position of leadership.

If they implement this even once. The outcry will be epic.
Maybe that will get people to realize what sort of psychos we have running our country.

I propose this to my fellow American citizens. Motion to Impeach anyone who signs this legislation. I don't give a flying fuck about their creed, political party, or personal ties.
Impeach them. Immediately. This bill offers no benefit whatsoever to the American people nor the the world.

 

[superbatranger]

Does the word cyber-9/11 piss anyone else off?

Everything about this concept lost validity when "Cyber 9/11" came up. Scaremongering, that's all it is.

Oh no no no, it lost validity when "cyber-warrior" came up. What the hell? When I think of that word, I think of a kid playing World of Warcraft with his friends, or any one of us whenever we get on our computer or 360 or whatever means of gaming we use, and proceed to play online with and against people across the globe. That's what comes to mind when the word "cyber-warrior" comes up. Not whatever Lieberman is spitting out. I think his idea of one is someone with a tinfoil hat living in Grandma's basement with a bank of computers, servers, flat screen monitors stacked 3 high, old CB radios with messages of anarchy scrawled on the wall. You know, the stereotypical hacker.

Although, I kinda see what he's going with all this. But, I honestly find this notion of "turning off the internet" absurd and just plain stupid. How many modern services are linked to the internet? A fuck ton, last time I checked.

"Mr. President! The internet has been successfully switched off."
"Very good. Contact SOCOM, NORAD, CIA, NSA, DOD. Get everyone on the same page."
"Mr. President, I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"Well, we communicated with everyone via channels on the Internet."
"Then use the phone!"
"No can do. When the internet went out the lines crashed."
"What? Why?"
"We didn't give an advance warning to the general public."
"What about radios? We still have radios, right?"
"We got rid of them."
"Who had the stupid idea of getting rid of the radios?"
"You did, sir. You wanted us to be more modern."
"Damn it. Turn the internet back on.."
"We can't. It's set so that it can't be turned on for 48 hours."
"48 hours?! Son of a!"

[sub][sub]This conversation was highly exaggerated, but I wouldn't be surprised if a conversation like this one were to actually happen.[/sub][/sub]

 

[Ironic]

if they shut of the internet, that'd cripple their own communication abilities

Not if they only shut off the internet FOR THE PUBLIC.

Dictatorship anyone?

 

[Jsnoopy]

Wha-
Hmm. Now they're trying to take over the internet?
Good job US government, you are going to make people all over want to kick your asses.

I think that already happened after 8 years of Bush as President....

 

[Simon Hadow]

Hoooo BOY! SOMEBODY got their pills mixed with their breakfast cereal the day this idea was cooked up!

 

[antigodoflife]

Wait.... What? A kill switch? Would there be warning beforehand or would we just be told "We're Turning off your Internetz! HA!"

Actually, part of me hopes they don't give out a warning, like if someone is watching a *Ahem* certain Genre of video and just as it actually starts doing what *ahem* it promises... BOOM! You have no internet!

Calumon: I hope this doesn't catch on.

If the video is loaded, then it'll still play when the internet goes, like all videos.

 

[antigodoflife]

if they shut of the internet, that'd cripple their own communication abilities

Not if they only shut off the internet FOR THE PUBLIC.

Dictatorship anyone?

No, America is a Plutocracy not a Dictatorship and although it's a slightly retarted form, America is still Democratic, or has the illusion of being so.

 

[Blatherscythe]

There has to be some sort of right or freedom that stops them from doing this, right? Their idea of helping people is to cut off one of their main sources of communication? This makes me glad I live in Canada, because the U.S is becoming more like a for-profit dictatorship. And as for 9/11, Osama did the damage and managed to spread so much fear, panic and paranioa that the U.S government is tearing up the country through unreasonable laws that restrict rights like this one, all he needs to do is hide for about 10 more years and the states will have killed itself!

 

[Kazturkey]

HA! Loving the mocking, Mr. Chalk. Cyber-this and Cyber-that

Mr. Government,
[/i]You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means[/i]

OT: Is this just for the US? Cus I'm questioning why they would have any right to turn off British internet, considering A) They HAVE no right and B) We technically invented it

No, a team led by a british scientist invented it in switzerland. BRITAIN did not invent it.

 

[zohmbee]

Because THAT'S a good idea. Seriously, people panic when their internet goes out for five minutes. And what the hell would "Cyber 9-11" entail exactly? Stupid idea.
(Sorry if that's been answered; I'm not reading all 15 pages to find out)

 

[Chase Yojimbo]

Porn as we know it will be completely deleted... I cannot allow this to happen, i don't have the balls to ask a girl out and have sex with her. god help us.

 

[Digitaldreamer7]

Does anyone seriously think that this bill is some sort of government plot for power that was all agreed upon by the president and the rest of the senators? Because if you do then you are fucking stupid. This was just one crazy senator that everyone in our country hates in the first place. What if some representative in Britain pushed for a bill that orders everyone over two hundred pounds to go to a work camp? The blame wouldn't fall on the country, just the crazy assclown who proposed the bill.

Also, why do people cry about losing freedom when being able to propose such an absurd bill only shows how much freedom America gives and people take advantage of. Maybe most of you should have read the whole article and come up with something better than a kindergardeners interpretation of while the American government is full of shit.

I bet you are one of those people that thinks we are in iraq to fight the "terrorists" and find "osama bin laden" and not to make a bunch of white guys rich from oil and the sale of military supplies to the government.

I bet you also think it's ok that if you are labeled a "terrorist" by the government that they can hold you as long as they want, even without proof, and deny you a fair trial.

I could go on and on about how the government is taking away our freedoms legally because people with no brains did nothing, but I wont.

Bottom line is, the internet is a powerful tool that should not be allowed to have an off switch.

 

[Nova5]

"We cannot afford to wait for a cyber-9/11 before our government realizes the importance of protecting our cyber-resources," said bill co-sponsor Senator Susan Collins [http://collins.senate.gov/public/].

...That is the single most retarded thing I've ever heard a politician say about the internet. Not counting anything by Sarah Palin. But still, holy hell these people are our representatives in government!

Also, I want the word 'cyber' stricken from the English language. And anyone who uses it will be given the death penalty.

For that matter, I'm sick of them saying 'This will be the next 9/11!' about every minor security threat. 9/11 is not some tool to try and crowbar in half-baked security reforms, people! This reminds me of how politicians compared everything to communism to avoid socializing any more public services.

 

[Digitaldreamer7]

Well, think about it. If you make more security, hackers will find new ways in. close those, they'll find more. Hackers get into the pentagon's network, suddenly the world has thousands of nuclear missiles aimed at it by a fat sweaty geek who lives in his mom's basement. wouldn't it be nice to have a killswitch then? or maybe some pet uber-virus gets loose. sure, the idea needs refining, but it could potentially be very helpful.

It's more refering to power grids, telecoms, water treatment plants etc. missile computers arn't sporting the latest version of IE or firefox, much less hooked up to any intra or internet, if this were so, Chinese hackers probably would have already blown our shit up.