Internet Kill Switch Legislation is Back

I would say the idea of an Internet kill switch died when Republicans took the house in November, I would say that, but then again their was Republican Billy long trumping up tough campaign questions asked by an Internet into perceived threats. Soon the FBI visited the bloggers house. It appears some Republicans don't like the idea of Internet freedom either. Of course it's another RINO that is co-sponsoring the bill--Susan Collins.

I hate to report it today, but even with Republicans in the House, the Internet kill switch is still alive.

The legislation, which would grant US President Barack Obama powers to seize control of and even shut down the internet, would soon be reintroduced to a senate committee, Wired.com reported.

It was initially introduced last year but expired with a new Congress.


Angry scenes ... protesters gather at the statue of Alexander the Great in Cairo to demand the resignation of Hosni Mubarak Photo: AFP/Topshots
Senator Susan Collins, a co-sponsor of the bill, said that unlike in Egypt, where the government was using its powers to quell dissent by shutting down the internet, it would not.

“My legislation would provide a mechanism for the government to work with the private sector in the event of a true cyber emergency,” Collins said in an emailed statement to Wired. “It would give our nation the best tools available to swiftly respond to a significant threat.”

The proposed legislation, introduced into the US Senate by independent senator Joe Lieberman, who is chairman of the US Homeland Security committee, seeks to grant the President broad emergency powers over the internet in times of national emergency.

Let's take this full circle. This is being pushed by the Homeland Security committee in the Senate. Guess who sits on the committee in the House, Billy Long. Just last week, Long co-sponsored a bill from the House Homeland Security committee that ensures DHS gains more power for it's citizen spy network titled "If You See Something, Say Something." Long along with other Republicans want to provide immunity for anyone who provides information to the federal government with "If You See Something, Say Something." This of course removes the responsibility of reporting factual information to the federal government and could be further used to harass citizens, something Long's office has already been caught doing.