“Mobile phone networks have reportedly been disrupted, leaving millions without access to text messaging or phone calls,” Olson reports. “The country’s key Internet Service Providers are also off the air, says James Cowie, the chief technology officer of Internet monitoring firm Renesys on his blog. ‘Virtually all of Egypt’s Internet addresses are now unreachable, worldwide.'”
Olson reports, “Activists have taken to Twitter to report on the situation while the local dialup network NOOR appears to still be online. One tweet that has been doing the rounds recommends that locals who have NOOR access or a working Wifi router remove their passwords in order to share access with neighbors.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: This ought to make thinking, freedom-loving people very wary of granting any government the power of an “Internet kill switch.” This is a clarion reminder that things that one day might sound prudent and rational to some can sound completely misguided and crazy the next. You never know who will gain power or how they’ll abuse it until it’s too late.
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. – Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
Government will use any means at it’s disposal to remain in power…
It’s kind of funny that “The worlds greatest democracy” has helped to keep a lot of brutal dictators in power for decades.
Joe
I never thought that a kill switch is prudent or rational.
Phew! At least America’s safe from such silly government controls, right Mr. Lieberman?
http://dns.tmcnet.com/topics/internet-security/articles/137941-internet-kill-switch-act-back-senates-agenda.htm
Let’s just hope the internet switch is all that gets killed. I fear that won’t be the case though.
”If your government shuts down the internet, shut down your government.” From earlier in the Twitter trend.
The only dictators the US don’t like are ones who aren’t subservient and who won’t enslave their obedient masses to corporate America.
Your free to do as we tell you.
“A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.”
– Gerald Ford (14 July 1913 – 26 December 2006) , the 38th President of the United States.
Welcome to Barry the destroyer’s elite agenda. It will all be done in the name of your safety…
@Wandering Joe
The US hasn’t just KEPT dictators in power, we’ve PUT them in Power.
The Shah of Iran. Saddam Hussein. We built the Taliban.
There’s an excellent new iPad app that was adapted from a graphic novel, which was adapted from a book about the CIA sponsored assassination of Mohammad Mossedegh a popular leader who wanted Iran to control their oil. Needless to say the US and Britain took steps…
Anyway, it’s called Operation Ajax. It’s extremely well done and I is an incredible eye-opener.
@john smith
I know that’s a thinly veiled reference to the current administration but it applies both ways. Take an objective look at all the privacy and rights you had to give up under the last administration under the guise of “security from evildoers”.
You quickly come to realize that people need to stop looking at the (D) and (R) behind everyone’s name and look at issues objectively.
What never ceases to fascinate me is that Americans are so often proud of their democracy. Whenever there is a discussion on democracy in the world, Americans tend to declare, often with great pride, how theirs is about the best, most open, transparent and free. What I cannot understand, then, is, since this statement means that every single elected official in the government is elected by his/her constituents and is directly representing the interests of those who elected them, how is it possible that Americans (especially conservative ones, those most proud of their democracy) tend to be most fearful of the very government they themselves elected?
If it is such a true and transparent democracy, can’t you just vote your representative out if he votes for something that you don’t agree with?
…”You never know who will gain power or how they’ll abuse it until it’s too late.” (MDN’t take)
That sentence is applicable to single-party dictatorships and such. Surely, it can’t possibly happen in a transparent democracy, where every tiny little detail is dug up about every candidate, then regular people go and vote for them? Not to mention that the same people get to vote them out if even a tiny thing goes wrong…?
@ Predrag
Every tiny detail of a candidate’s personal life, religion, and sexual history is dug up only to distract from their corporate sponsorship.
I really dont understand how killing the Internet could help the government in a “modern Internet economy.” Shouldn’t it just leave everyone competely unable to either work or entertain themselves, and if so, what better thing could there be to do than go outside and fight the police over it?
Can’t happen here. I’m sure we can trust the FCC. The DNC. The RNC. The EPA. Bush. Obama.
Give the FCC an official foot in the door and it’s over, and it is probably over already.
Fredo,
Developed world has built their economies on the back of the internet over the last ten years or so. The developing world, not so. Almost no mission-critical solutions require internet access or communication. Landlines are pretty much by far the dominant way for conducting business there. Dictatorship economies are fairly safe from any harm due to any disabling of internet, or even mobile telephony.
Didn’t the Obamanable say reading too much info on the Internet was not good for people?
I think the government of Egypt listened.
“If it is such a true and transparent democracy, can’t you just vote your representative out if he votes for something that you don’t agree with?”
Yes, we can. but unlike other areas of the world, we do not tend to kill off all the government officials to change laws. BUT, we do have to wait for new elections, can’t just say we are going to vote next Thursday to replace xx because xx voted a way we don’t like. We grumble, scream, criticize, and blow a lot of hot air, but in the end, as for 200+ years, we peacefully change governments as to the will of the people. And if something really bad happens, we group together regardless of who is in office. Don’t confuse the arguing in USA politics with the protests you see around the world, we argue because it is our freedom to argue.
Obama wants the same thing here.
That is why we still also need HF radio on Shortwave, internet radio is great no doubt, but can always be filtered or like here we take it all down.
The thing is a “kill switch” is a double-edged sword.
Given the behaviour of some countries (name no names, but the US owes one of them a trillion dollars), a kill switch that protects the US from cyber-attack is absolutely necessary as it is in any developed economy that can be destabilised by a determined act of economic terrorism.
All of the fear-mongering about Obama abusing his powers is, quite frankly, the kind of nonsense one would expect from Michele Bachmann, Steve King, Sarah Palin or Glenn Beck. But I guess there’s the answer.
The Dems and Repubs are both sides of the same coin. We need a strong third party.
Doesn’t sound like a “kill-switch”, more like a manual turnoff of ISPs, which any country can try to do.
Jan 28, 11 – 11:15 amComment from: Mark S.
Obama wants the same thing here.
That is because he is one of them and not a true American.
“That is because he is one of them and not a true American.”
I hope that’s a joke. How long has your family been here? Twenty years? Maybe the flyspeck of time of a hundred? Unless your name is Running Bull or Flys with Eagles, you are not a true American.
the double standard of the US with regards to human right and freedom of speech. when iran blocked twiter the US media made so much drama, here’s a US “friend” cutting off the internet for the entire country, where are the threats and the world condemnations? hypocrites, hypocrites hypocrites.
@Seamus,
Your Native American friends only got here 5 to 6000 years ago from Asia.
Immigrants, all of us are immigrants. Ask your favorite Anthropologist.
@macromancer
I have to agree with u about the R and D thing the privacy things from “the last administration ” had sunset clauses and the Barry administration chose to make them permanent.
Egypt and the rest of the Middle East may be on the brink of an upheaval that will have profound consequences for all the world, including the U.S. Yet, during yesterday’s prime-time Anderson Cooper 360 newcast on CNN, sit-in anchor Soledad O’Brien spent the first 20 minutes of the program making fun of Sarah Palin’s reaction to Barack Obama’s Sputnik comment, and the next 10 minutes or so dissing another Republican’s comments about Obama. Little wonder that so many Americans know next to nothing about how the rest of the world works. I realize that the program was on CNN’s domestic service, but surely what is happening in Egypt is more important than leading off with a lengthy “ha ha” fest about Sarah Palin’s latest pronouncements.
These dictatorships need to cease. Democracy is a much better system. Of course, that would mean a greedy government would have to step down and give up any claims to power…
I suppose it takes a revolution 🙁
@MDN Take: I agree. No government power should hold an internet kill switch.
This ought to make thinking, freedom-loving people very wary of granting any government the power of an “Internet kill switch.” This is a clarion reminder that things that one day might sound prudent and rational to some can sound completely misguided and crazy the next. You never know who will gain power or how they’ll abuse it until it’s too late.
It’s worth remembering the same “freedom-loving” entity that wrote this statement didn’t say “boo” after learning the DOJ under George Bush suggested “relaxing” the First and Fourth Amendments.
“The bill would allow the President to enact “emergency measures” in the case of a large-scale cyber attack. In its original form, the bill granted the President authority to shut down part of the Internet for an indefinite time. A later version of the bill reduced that time to 120 days, unless Congress approves an extension.”
With or without cyber attack, Can anyone imagine our economy or our daily lives without Internet acces for 120 days??? Or an extension to 120?? That is just ridiculous! And very unrealistic even if it is only part of the Internet that’s killed.
Even for one day!!! Just think of all the online retailers or business processes that take place over the Internet.
It’s not whether there is an Internet kill switch or not, but rather what it is used for. I repeat…. What’s the Internet kill switch used for.
“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Fail to support the 2nd Amendment at your own peril.
@Seamus
Check it out little dude. I never said anything about how long anybodys family has been on US soil. My statement was ment too say that he is just another political figure in it for himself. The US government is fscked up and has been far to long, this is not about (R) or (D) this is about selfish political figures in it for personal gain rather than for the American people. GREED is what is killing the USA. So if you want to make a comment on any post try to figure out what the post actualy says.
This is the future!
A country with 25+% population growth per year cannot grow at the speed of Apple everywhere – in schools roads food. The Uni educated don’t have jobs relevant to their qualifications.
Its the old PC story – race to the bottom in price value lifestyle.
And as you can see its not pretty!
This is why cloud computing is just an illusion. It would be foolish to have critical data become unavailable because of political actions.
@Seamus I am a true North American as I am part first nation.
I’ve read that Egypt only hav 4 ISP’s so it shouldn’t be to hard to switch of connection.
As somebody else commented on this issue. What’s happening in Egypt could have very broad impact to the world.
If Tunisia and perhaps Egypt turns to democracies, Israel can’t claim being the only democracy in the middle East and they may become more isolated than they already is. I bet they don’t like.
Who and what will reign in both Tunisia and Egypt we don’t know. But I’m pretty sure we won’t see fundamentalists taking control. The demonstrators on the streets are mainly young people feed up with being unemployed having nothing to loose.
What’s makes me ashamed is how our western governments are lukewarm compared to Iran 1,5 year ago because it was the same people out on the streets fighting for the same rights then.