The Internet has become so big that the government just can’t seem to “ignore” it. In fact, laws have been cropping up left and right, so as to impose some measure of control over activities online. The most recent one is the Cyber Security Bill which the Senate Committee has just approved.
If you’re unaware of what the bill is all about, here’s a short description, courtesy of Politic365:
• Would establish a White House office for cyberspace policy and a national center for cybersecurity and communications, which would work with private U.S. companies to create cybersecurity requirements for the electrical grid, telecommunication networks and other critical “infrastructure” (water, electricity, banking, traffic lights and electronic health records)
• Allow the U.S. president to take emergency action to protect critical parts of the Internet, including ordering owners of critical infrastructure to implement emergency response plans during a cyber emergency
• The president would need congressional approval to extend a national cyber emergency beyond 120 days under an amendment to the legislation approved by the committee
Naturally, controversy has arisen, primarily because of the fear of the creation of an “Internet kill switch.” Imagine the power that any one person has if he has access to this kill switch. You can read through the Myth versus Reality document that Homeland Security has created, though, and decide for yourself if your fears are unfounded or not.
On the one hand, the concept seems sound – an attack is bound to happen one of these days and the government is being proactive in passing this bill. On the other hand, we know that it is open to abuse, and there are so many loopholes.
What are your thoughts and sentiments on the Cyber Security Bill?