Do You Want an Internet Kill Switch?

Would you agree to the government having a kill switch that shut down the Internet in the event of a malicious cyber attack?

The majority of Americans do:

Sixty-one percent of Americans said the President should have the ability to shut down portions of the Internet in the event of a coordinated malicious cyber attack, according to research by Unisys. […]
“A majority of the American population is willing to grant the President the authority to cut short their Internet access to protect both U.S. assets and citizens, suggesting that the public is taking cyber warfare very seriously,” said Patricia Titus, VP and CISO, Unisys. “Our survey shows that the American public recognizes the danger of a cyber attack and wants the federal government to take an active role in extending the nation’s cyber defense. It will be up to officials in all branches of the federal government to respond to this call to action in a way that is measured and well planned.”

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Wow Dumb. . . nuff said.

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But... But.... why!?!? What could people fear so much about a 'cyber attack' that they would want such a thing? I can't imaging how such a large 'attack' could take place anyhow, but that aside.. are they afraid that their computers will explode or something? This is confounding. It like.. giving the president a kill switch for telephones. Or television.

Internetz aside, when will we Americans stop trading freedom for safety (or, some would argue, the *illusion* of safety). What happened to Liberty or Death? Sheesh...

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I'd prefer a method of protection rather than, say, the people in charge deciding there is too much dissent floating around. Because one big allegorical kill switch implies a bunch of little switches that can be used in a more discreet manner.

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Should we give him permission to shut down all other news sources too? Because enemies of the state could be using them to spread false and harmful information. I think the obvious answer is no.

My brother who is in the Air force thinks the president should be able to shut down the internet to prevent an attack on all the ways the military uses the internet. I told him that regardless of how it got started the internet is now part an essential part of free speech, and there is no eff-ing way it should be shut down for military reasons. If they don’t like it build a dedicated network that isn’t tied in.