Internet Could Lose Voice

You'll have a choice when reading this blog. You can either read it and absorb my opinions on the story or read the story for yourself and gather your own thoughts on it.

The article I'm referring to is here.

In a nutshell, the United States Senate are trying to push through two new laws, referred to as Bills 773 and 778. These bills are proposing that the American Government have complete control over the Internet, including whether to shut it down temporarily or not. It would allow the Government unprecedented access to any information sorted online anywhere. Public records, bank details, visas, utilities, power generators would all be controlled by the Government and halted if a 'Cyber-Attack' were launched.

The Government have, of course, defended their reasons. Stating that hackers could be stopped in their tracks from breaking into an online bank account and stealing the money by simply turning off the Internet. It would work but who is it there to protect? If someone broke into my bank account and stole my last £20, shutting down the Internet would not be a logical solution. So what would this power be used for?

Well, the most common issue this bill has raised is towards America's first amendment, the right to free speech. America's paranoia around everything since 9/11 has been growing to such gargantuan size, I'm surprised they haven't collapsed under a sea of their own ignorance. These bills seem to be yet another hallmark of a terrified United States.

A passage of the bill reads : The legislation "addresses our country's unacceptable vulnerability to massive cyber crime, global cyber espionage and cyber attacks that could cripple our critical infrastructure." Not backed up by examples or case studies of cyber attacks, but the rhetoric is pretty damn good. The one sentence that best describes these bills has the words: Vulnerable, Crime, Espionage, Attack and Cripple. Here is a lesson in how to pitch a new law.

But back to issue about freedom of speech. Cyber Crime, I'm guessing, is what I mentioned earlier about hackers robbing banks, Cyber Espionage is I think the workings of a new James Bond online game and Cyber Attacks well, who the fuck knows. So as the bills vagueness begins to show, the more paranoid the Internet community becomes. Because by having a law that gives general directions in which the law will swing rather than pin point examples and structure, the law is open to exploitation. Is a Cyber Attack, a fundamentally religious group discussing plans for a terrorist attack or some kid calling Obama a knob? Well, as it stands so far, both are. Which is why there is concern that even verbal attacks on the Government could be as serious as an actual attack.

The Senator defending this bill, and I believe it's creator, is Senator Jay Rockafeller who has said "We must protect our critical infrastructure at all costs – from our water to our electricity, to banking, traffic lights and electronic health records – the list goes on." This seems to me that the Government have gotten two things wrong here. First they trusted a man named Jay Rockafeller with a seat in the Senate, and secondly from this last quote, it seems that the Senator is planning to stop the threat of Die Hard 4 happening.

'Mr Senator, why is protecting the security of traffic lights one of the main things that this bill is designed to defend?'

'Well, you'll remember when Bruce Willis and Justin Long nearly died when Timothy Olyphant turned all the traffic lights to green. This can never happen again!'

But on a serious note, I would like to know what everyone thinks about this. I'm swayed that this is a vicious circle of paranoia. The Government is becoming paranoid of the world and is so trying to monitor the world's views of America, and the American people not trusting their Government and using it as a stepping stone to a more totalitarian Government.

But I think these bills shouldn't be passed because of what the Internet is. It is a forum that ultimately promotes freedom of speech. Nobody can own the Internet because we own it and we shape it in whatever way we want. And to have someone try and monitor or censor it in any way, regardless of there intentions, could probably spell the end to the world's connection to itself.