Mixed Signals

 According to ABC News Radio, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will call for a free and open internet. A top aide to Clinton says she will “reaffirm U.S. support for a free and open Internet and underscore the importance of safeguarding liberty and security, transparency and confidentiality, and freedom of expression and tolerance.”  Clinton's address will follow a similar speech last year, and comes just days after Egypt and other countries have tried to manipulate Internet access.

 At the same time bill S 3480 is proposing an internet kill switch that would allow the government to cut access to the web. The bipartisan bill is sponsored by Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.  The bill — called “The Protecting Cyberspace As A National Asset Act of 2010” S.3480 — was approved by a Senate panel. The bill would create a new government agency called the National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications.  The NCCC would have the power to control the Internet, with  the ability to shut down the web for a 30-day period.  According to CNN, at least 60% of Americans get their daily news fix from the Internet. That means this affects most of us.