Is Egypt The First County To Attempt a Complete Cutoff From Internet

[engine]

Is Egypt The First County To Attempt a Complete Cutoff From Internet [guardian.co.uk]

"According to our analysis, 88% of the 'Egyptian internet' has fallen off the internet," said Andree Toonk at BGPmon, a monitoring site that checks connectivity of countries and networks.

"What's different in this case as compared to other 'similar' cases is that all of the major ISP's seem to be almost completely offline. Whereas in other cases, social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter were typically blocked, in this case the government seems to be taking a shotgun approach by ordering ISPs to stop routing all networks."

[Rugles]

That is just going to make people angrier.

[StoutFiles]

That is just going to make people angrier.

Which people? No one in Egypt will be reading it.

[Demaestro]

What I find amazing is how many people are able to get around the Facebook and Youtube blocks and are able to get what is happening out to the world.

The revolution WILL be televised!

[Rugles]

Which people? No one in Egypt will be reading it.

You would not be upset if you found Internet access was cutoff one day? I know I would and it would likely confirm what these people are complaining about in the first place.

It is a short-sighted move by this government.

[LifeinAsia]

Well, North Korea has been pretty much cutoff from the Internet since the beginning. But it's a big difference to have something and then not have it. For the NKs, it's hard to miss something you never had.

[lammert]

What I find amazing is how many people are able to get around the Facebook and Youtube blocks and are able to get what is happening out to the world.

We are not talking of a Youtube of Facebook block here or an attempt to block only social network sites. Egypt has almost completely cut the cables as you can see at [google.com...]

There is not going a single drip of data from Google search to Egypt, nor from any of the other Google services.

[onepointone]

Internet is a much more fragile thread than people want to admit. And so much depends on it now-days.

[frontpage]

Here in the USA, the President is looking for the same power to shut off the internet via the "Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act" AKA "Kill Switch".

The bill sponsor Senator Liberman recently defended the PCNAA. He is arguing that it was imperative the president had the ability to "say to an electric company or to say to Verizon, in the national interest, 'There's an attack about to come, and I hereby order you to put a patch on this, or put your network down on this part, or stop accepting any incoming from country A.'"

Here is the worst part of the bill - no judicial review of rule by fiat. Meaning you have no recourse to their decisions.

A company that objects to being subject to the emergency regulations is permitted to appeal to DHS secretary Janet Napolitano. But her decision is final and courts are explicitly prohibited from reviewing it.

1) Obama to be given the right to shut down the internet with 'kill switch'

[dailymail.co.uk...]

2) A new Senate bill, sponsored by Senator Joseph Lieberman, proposes to give the president the authority "to seize control of or even shut down portions of the Internet," according to CNET.

[news.cnet.com...]

3) Renewed Push to Give Obama an Internet "Kill Switch"

[cbsnews.com...]

4) Bill gives Obama 'kill switch' on web

[economictimes.indiatimes.com...]

5) Lieberman Bill Would Let Government Take Over Internet in Cybersecurity Emergency

[aolnews.com...]

6) "A company that objects to being subject to the emergency regulations is permitted to appeal to DHS secretary Janet Napolitano. But her decision is final and courts are explicitly prohibited from reviewing it."

[cbsnews.com...]

[edited by: lawman at 3:13 am (utc) on Feb 1, 2011]

[Shaddows]

How many companies would be forced to cease trading by lack of internet access, combined with restricted telecoms?

And how many would-be employees are then free to roam the streets?