[aklug] Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010

From: Christopher Howard <christopher.howard@frigidcode.com>
Date: Wed Jan 26 2011 - 22:51:48 AKST

I'm still tracking this whole government-takeover-of-the-Internet issue.
I believe the current bill is S.3480, "Protecting Cyberspace as a
National Asset Act of 2010", and that that is some kind of revived
version of S.773, "Cybersecurity Act of 2009". I'm still analysing this,
but in the meantime here is a PDF link directly to the bill as reported
in the Senate:

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111s3480rs/pdf/BILLS-111s3480rs.pdf

Again, still analysing this, but right off the bat I find their
definition of "cyberspace" rather interesting:

S.3.3. "CYBERSPACE.—The term ‘‘cyberspace’’ means the interdependent
network of information infrastructure, and includes the Internet,
telecommunications networks, computer systems, and embedded processors
and controllers in critical industries.

<rant>
And right off, I'd like to say I disagree with the very title of the
act. "Cyberspace" is /not/ a national asset, like an oil field or a
hydro-electric dam. The Internet (if we can restrict the discussion to
that for a moment) is a collection of privately- (and publicly-) owned
computers which the owners /voluntarily/ allow to communicate with each
other via networking technology.

My web server belongs to /me/, not to my country, and the government had
better keep their dirty hands off of it. And every privately owned
server, router, et cetera should be viewed that way, regardless of
whether or not the government thinks it is some kind of "critical" system.
</rant>

-- 
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theologa.indicium.us
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Received on Wed Jan 26 22:51:49 2011

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