Senator Joseph Lieberman has proposed a new bill that would give President Obama the ability to shut down the internet if there is a cybersecurity emergency. The bill, known as the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act (PSCNAA) would require “companies such as broadband providers, search engines, or software firms that the government selects [to] immediately comply with any emergency measure or action developed by the Department of Homeland Security”. If not, they would be fined. This bill, naturally, is already receiving heat and some are calling it an invasion of free speech while others are calling labeling it as another step towards the government gaining “absolute power.”
While we can understand these concerns, the fact is of the matter is that if another country launches a network attack on the infrastructure of the US, we would want the government to know what to do and to do it quickly. Many think this cannot happen but foreign hackers can gain access to computer systems responsible for power grids, water works, and the nation’s military arsenal. As a matter of in fact, they already have. Check out this CNN Special that aired a couple weeks ago on Cyber War below, and let us know what you think!
