Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said on Friday she’s going to re-introduce a bill that would give the President the power to shut off the internet. Because that’s worked so well in Egypt. But, Collins says the bill won’t let the President shut of the internet the way the Egyptian government did.
From Wired:
“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 e-mail Friday. “It would give our nation the best tools available to swiftly respond to a significant threat.”
Not surprisingly, groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union filed an open letter opposing the bill, expressing concern that such a law could be used to censor the internet.
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