A few weeks ago, details surfaced of a new bill that could hand the president of the United States the power to basically disconnect computers from the internet for emergency reasons.
While the bill isn’t quite completed and the details remain vague, many Web outlets have been in an uproar – fearing the expansion of governmental control of the internet. Unlike most other bloggers and internet news reporters, I’m actually quite comfortable with the president having emergency power over the internet. Sure, such power could be abused and there’s always the “slippery slope” argument, but people need to realize the president already has similar power in other areas of our life and that power is there for a reason.
Before I go one, let me assure you that I am generally for a smaller government that has less power and control. My feelings are that the government should exist soley to protect us and to keep things running smoothly while interfering as little as possible. With that said, I don’t mind the president having the ability to turn off parts of the internet if it’s deemed an emergency and a security risk.
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