Obama Kill Switch Rumors Have Some Hitting The Panic Button

The Obama Kill Switch

Last week when the protests began in Egypt, Dictator Hosni Mubarak used an internet kill switch in Egypt in order to thwart the organization of further protests. This proved to be a futile measure as the nation is on the verge of upheavel.

Now, some people are pushing the panic button in the United States - afraid that President Obama will implement an internet kill switch, aptly referred to as "The Obama Kill Switch." After all, Senator Joseph Lieberman is looking to push a bill through which will allow the government to shut off the internet so as to prevent the further spread of a catastrophic cyber attack.

Alas, many bloggers and conspiracy theorists are taking to the internet to decry the new boogyman - the Obama kill switch, which will be used to thwart uprisings and protests. A blogger from the site Deathandtaxes proposes a scenario in which a "dual internet" exists which would allow business as usual to continue while "us plebes were stuck with a permanent Fail Whale" after the Obama kill switch was pushed.

According to wired.com internet kill switch legislation is back on the table and could become a reality, which would grant Obama the same power that Mubarak used to cause an internet blackout in Egypt.

It's a big stretch to suggest that the Obama Adminstration is going to implement a so-called internet kill switch to trample our freedoms. Anyone with a knowledge of how infrastructure works will tell you that it's easier said than done. Added to that, this would stop our economy and cause a cascading effect throughout the world. Imagine if the United States economy was shut down for a day or a few days; it would spell doom for the global economy.

Furthermore, the situation in Egypt is proof that shutting down the internet cannot stop citizens from mobilizing, which is a testament to the power of humans. The human condition transcends technology and did just fine before the internet. And, it can do fine without it.