Kill The Internet ‘Kill Switch’

Free RepublicBrowse · Search Pings · Mail News/ActivismTopics · Post ArticleSkip to comments.Kill The Internet ‘Kill Switch’IBD Editorials ^ | January 31, 2011 | StaffPosted on Monday, January 31, 2011 8:30:46 PM by KaslinCensorship: Virtually the first thing an authoritative Egyptian government did to quell dissent was to shut down its Internet. So why are we debating a bill to give our government the same power?In George Orwell‘s classic “1984,” the control of information and its flow was critical to Big Brother‘s maintaining his grip on the people and manipulating their passions. Authoritarian governments and dictators worldwide know that lesson well.The ability to see how others live and to exchange ideas is a catalyst to dissent and unrest. The ability to choke off that flow is a necessity for authoritarian governments. The Internet and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have helped fuel democratic movements from our own Tea Party to the Iranian dissidents.It was no surprise that when unrest poured onto the streets of Egyptian cities, the Internet was a major way for protesters to communicate and organize. It was also no surprise that the Egyptian government moved quickly to shut things down.Organizations that track Internet traffic worldwide reported the virtual collapse of the Egyptian Internet at 5:20 a.m. last Thursday, as more than 88% of Egyptian Internet access was shut down.Christopher Williams, technology correspondent for England’s Telegraph newspaper, reports the withdrawal of more than 3,500 of what are called Border Gateway Protocol routes by Egyptian Internet service providers.Excerpt Read more at investors.com …

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