Cries of Protest, Censorship Greet News of Cybersecurity Bill

An outcry is growing over the Senate’s attempt last week to improve cybersecurity, because the bill would give the president power to disconnect the Internet.

In an article on the Network World website, John Fontana says the sweeping legislation included a provision to give the president the power to “order the disconnection of any Federal government or United States critical infrastructure information systems or networks in the interest of national security.”

Fontana says critics are worried that the provision needed to be more clearly defined, especially in the somewhat unlikely case the Internet, unlike telecommunications and banking systems, doesn’t fall under “critical infrastructure."

Others are “worried the bill gives the government too much power and liken the scope of its provisions to China and other communist countries or regimes,” Fontana says. “And many criticized President Obama for abuse of power even though he had nothing to do with the bi-partisan legislation that would pertain to any sitting president.”

But on the cybersecurity side, many believe it is such a serious issue that it needs these types of tough decisions, Fontana adds.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/040309-cyber-bill-protest.html?hpg1=bn