A Senate committee on last Thursday approved a cyber-security bill that has prompted concern about a presidential "Internet kill switch." The bill is an over-arching cyber-security measure which would create an office of cyberspace policy within the White House and create a new center within the Homeland Security Department, which would implement cyber-security policies. A provision that got the most attention was one that gave the president the power to "authorize emergency measures to protect the nation's most critical infrastructure if a cyber vulnerability is being exploited or is about to be exploited." Though the language is somewhat vague, this section was interpreted by many as giving the president an "Internet kill switch" that would effectively allow him to "turn off" the Web in an emergency.. Read More
