The End of the Internet? Cybersecurity Act gives Obama power to shut down internet, i

[Pyrite]

Wow, I think it's incredibly likely that Herr Obama will grasp power in his slim brown fingers like a previous democratic socialist, and run to tyranny.

Good grief, y'all. Paranoid much?

presidential powers don't vanish when a man leaves office. Obama's successor will have any powers granted to Obama, unless they are specifically revoked.

 

[KittenKoder]

Remember this?

Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies - WSJ.com

I believe this bill is intended to address a real vulnerability. I'm not wildly opposed to the concept. What I'd like to know is does it really help? I guess it could, but I can't help thinking that if a cyber-vulnerability is actually exploited, even shutting down the internet may be too late if the damage is done.

"Give them an inch ..."

There are ways to do it without a bill, for one, upgrade the damned software to non-Microsoft garbage.

 

[Vel]

No, but that's a good idea ...

So what's the plan ?

Realistically, just annoy the hell out of politicians and hope they get the hint.

These are the committee members that need to be annoyed the most. Rockefeller is the sponsor. Co-sponsors are Olympia Snowe and Evan Bayh. If you only have time for a few phone calls, these are the people that have the power to kill this bill in committee.

Democrats Republicans

Chairman John D. Rockefeller, IV (WV)
Daniel K. Inouye (HI)
John F. Kerry (MA)
Byron L. Dorgan (ND)
Barbara Boxer (CA)
Bill Nelson (FL)
Maria Cantwell (WA)
Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ)
Mark Pryor (AR)
Claire McCaskill (MO)
Amy Klobuchar (MN)
Tom Udall (NM)
Mark Warner (VA)
Mark Begich (AK)
Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)
Olympia J. Snowe (ME)
John Ensign (NV)
Jim DeMint (SC)
John Thune (SD)
Roger Wicker (MS)
Johnny Isakson (GA)
David Vitter (LA)
Sam Brownback (KS)
Mel Martinez (FL)
Mike Johanns (NE)

 

[manifold]

Remember this?

Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies - WSJ.com

I believe this bill is intended to address a real vulnerability. I'm not wildly opposed to the concept. What I'd like to know is does it really help? I guess it could, but I can't help thinking that if a cyber-vulnerability is actually exploited, even shutting down the internet may be too late if the damage is done.

"Give them an inch ..."

There are ways to do it without a bill, for one, upgrade the damned software to non-Microsoft garbage.

 

[txlonghorn]

Somebody call Al Gore...

He'd never let such a vial thing happen to his precious creation!

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

The Bill will not make it out of committee if it is anything like your hysteria says it is. The issue for me is the chicken little shits like you who make everyone else tune out.

grow the fuck up


list who proposed the bill, who sponsors the bill, who is behind the bill...give info and stop shouting fire in a crowded forum

Sever ties with Microsoft, dissolve the contracts, and stop pushing more censorship. Basically, another example of Americans who are now too damned stupid to protect themselves. If it's true, then it pure evil.

Did you read the bill? It's an actual bill that's been put in to committee. We need to scream that this bill be stopped. Only way they will hear us is by flooding their email and calling. We can't let this bill move.

 

[KittenKoder]

Remember this?

Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies - WSJ.com

I believe this bill is intended to address a real vulnerability. I'm not wildly opposed to the concept. What I'd like to know is does it really help? I guess it could, but I can't help thinking that if a cyber-vulnerability is actually exploited, even shutting down the internet may be too late if the damage is done.

"Give them an inch ..."

There are ways to do it without a bill, for one, upgrade the damned software to non-Microsoft garbage.

Really, do you appreciate the FCC? Do you like having every single word bleeped just because someone decided they don't like it? Well, the FCC was started just to keep the media from breaking the law ... now look what they do. Seriously, "give them a damned inch ..."

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

The FCC has been too politicized by all admins. Regulatory bodies are needed in a country like ours. Regulation and government is never really the problem. Bad regulation and bad government is usually the problem.

 

[KittenKoder]

The FCC has been too politicized by all admins. Regulatory bodies are needed in a country like ours. Regulation and government is never really the problem. Bad regulation and bad government is usually the problem.

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

No, the problem is too many regulatory committees, why do we need babysitters? we're fucking adults aren't we? It's already illegal to hack without permission, virus development is already illegal and there are very easy ways to avoid those anyway. Everything they can protect against is already against the law, all they need are better techs to run their shit.

 

[Angel Heart]

See post #10 by Pyrite.
Read before you post.

I don't think that Time Warner Cable or Verizon DSL would be considered "Federal Government or United States critical infrastructure information system or network"

Aah .. but you forget the "give an inch ..." problem with the government. How long until they amend it or pass more if this one is allowed.

Yeah...

BTW I don't put the blame of this on Obama... I put it on the ones that sponsored and co-sponsored. They need to go for even putting this out or saying they back it.

On a good note.... It was put out on April 1st and is still stuck in committee.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

The FCC is there to regulate industry, noot the public. They get away with what the public allows and what administrations allow.

Industry unfettered gets us in bigger trouble.

Why would you throw the baby out with the bath water?

The FCC has been too politicized by all admins. Regulatory bodies are needed in a country like ours. Regulation and government is never really the problem. Bad regulation and bad government is usually the problem.

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

No, the problem is too many regulatory committees, why do we need babysitters? we're fucking adults aren't we? It's already illegal to hack without permission, virus development is already illegal and there are very easy ways to avoid those anyway. Everything they can protect against is already against the law, all they need are better techs to run their shit.

 

[Yurt]

who is trying to censor jokes?

"I hope Rushes kidneys fail."

i have not seen a single person say censorship of jokes or that joke...please tell me you don't think decorum is the same as censorship, please tell me you don't think that people finding something rude is the same as censorship...

if you do, then it is YOU who are censoring, not the other way around. apparently only you are allowed to have an opinion, no one else. i have every free speech right to tell someone they are a fat overweight pig, loooolz, but i don't because i believe it to be rude and i dont' like callous jokes like that. please tell me you don't believe that is censorship....

do you even know what censorship really means?

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

yurt makes a good point here.

 

[Ravi]

The President-- [...] (2) may declare a cybersecurity emergency and order the limitation or shutdown of Internet traffic to and from any compromised Federal Government or United States critical infrastructure information system or network;

I don't see the problem. If someone is maliciously hacking into government or critical infrastructure system networks why would you not want us to have the ability to stop internet traffic to government or critical infrastructure networks?

I thought we already had such an ability anyway.

 

[editec]

I don't understand this bill well enough to comment on it.

Seems clear to me that the government needs to protect the internet from cyberattacks.

But every time we give the goverment power, it's a TWO EDGED SWORD, isn't it?

 

[Gunny]

this seems to mostly be about the prevention of virus epidemics and infrastructure attacks. Unfortunately, it includes a rather dangerous provision in Sec 18 subsection 2 which reads:

The President-- [...] (2) may declare a cybersecurity emergency and order the limitation or shutdown of Internet traffic to and from any compromised Federal Government or United States critical infrastructure information system or network;

The President amassing more executive power? That was definitely something I didn't like about Bush, and was all supposed to change once Dems were in power. Instead, Obama has embraced Bush's amassing of executive power, and now adding to it.

I wonder if this is how Germans in the 30s felt who didn't embrace der fuehrer's visions?

 

[007]

The FCC has been too politicized by all admins. Regulatory bodies are needed in a country like ours. Regulation and government is never really the problem. Bad regulation and bad government is usually the problem.

Wha.....

Do you realize what kind of a brain fart you just had? You just contradicted yourself. Caffeine?

"Government" is "always" the problem. Government hasn't done anything right for decades. Everything it gets it's filthy, greedy, ever reaching and over powering fingers in has FAILED, MISERABLY!

Give oblahma power to shut down the internet? Give ANY President power to shut down the internet? Hell no.

I'll be protesting this in whatever ways possible.

Fuck oblahma, fuck the government, and fuck anybody that thinks they're going to shut the internet down.

 

[jillian]

I don't understand this bill well enough to comment on it.

Seems clear to me that the government needs to protect the internet from cyberattacks.

But every time we give the goverment power, it's a TWO EDGED SWORD, isn't it?

but notice, the same people who are having conniptions over this were perfectly fine with doing away with habeas corpus and the 4th amendment.