Fergie's Tech Blog

Updated U.S. Cyber Security Bill Draws Continued Criticism

Angela Moscaritolo writes on SC Magazine:

In light of the former Egyptian regime's move to cut off internet access as means to silence protesters, critics of a U.S. Senate proposal worry it would give the president the same type of authority in the United States, even in the legislation's revised form.


The Cybersecurity and Internet Freedom Act [.pdf], introduced last week by Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Tom Carper, D-Del, aims to secure the nation's most sensitive critical cyber infrastructures.


The legislation is a revised version of a highly contested bill first introduced last year as The Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010. The original bill drew harsh criticism for a provision that critics said would give the president kill-switch-like power to shut down the internet.


The newly updated legislation contains no such provision, the senators said in a statement released late last week. Moreover, it contains "explicit" language prohibiting the president or any other U.S. government employee from shutting down the internet, they said.

posted by Fergie @ 2/23/2011 06:25:00 PM