Internet Kill Switch – To be or To Be Not

Senator Joseph Lieberman introduced “Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010″, which proposed to give the President of USA 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”. And it was then that the term Internet Kill Switch was coined by the protesters.

Though controversial but a section of people did support it. But things turned when Egypt used it to prevent the protesters from using the Internet to initiate more protests and demonstrators.  Even some of the ardent supporters of the Internet Kill Switch became a protester.

Do We Need It?

The Internet Switch was always there. But its perception and usage definition have changed mainly due to the recent events. But then do we really need an Internet Switch or rather an Internet Kill Switch?

•  If you are in country ruled by a despot and fear that the person might use it to put a blanket on information and online access, then yes — it’s not for you and you will say ‘NO’ to Internet Kill Switch.
• If you are against government interfering in your business or have any kind of control over the infrastructure, you will say ‘NO’ to Internet Switch.
• If you fear that the Government might misuse it to have a control over its citizens, then definitely you will say ‘NO’ to Internet Switch.

But what if you are in a free country and have the freedom to make your own decisions and choices?

Yes, We Need It!

In spite of the entire backlash against Internet Kill Switch and protesters painting it as an affront to democratic values, in my opinion if used judiciously Internet Kill Switch is a good tool to have.

Please note having an Internet Kill Switch does not mean that anytime a problem occurs the government will shut down the entire Internet. But it will definitely be in a position to shut down access to critical infrastructure. 

Imagine a cyberwarfare or terrorism scenario where the attackers are:

• Holding the whole city or country to hostage
• Trying to destroy your power stations/nuclear facilities etc
• Stealing from your banks
• Stopping your transportation systems
• Disrupting your flight or railway systems with the intention to create accidents

Won’t you then want to have an Internet Kill Switch type of option to paralyze the bad guys’ operations?

In addition, every organization has security measures and controls to keep them safe from online attacks. Is it too much for a country to have a measure like Internet Kill Switch to protect their people, business and critical infrastructure from online attacks?

As I mentioned earlier, if used judiciously, Internet Kill Switch can be a great tool.

Do feel free to share your thoughts.