Obama can shut down the internet

A new bill introduced to the US Congress by two Senators would give President Barack Obama the ability to completely shut down any internet traffic to or from the United States.

The bill would give the President the ability to declare “a cyber security emergency” and then order the “limitation or shutdown of internet traffic to and from any compromised Federal Government or United States critical infrastructure information system or network”.

One of the senators who drafted the bill, Senator Olympia Snowe, says that “America’s vulnerability to massive cyber crime, global cyber espionage, and cyber attacks has emerged as one of the most urgent national security problems facing our country today”.

“We must unite on all fronts to confront this monumental challenge. If we fail to take swift action, we, regrettably, risk a cyber-Katrina.”