Homeland Security must disclose ‘Internet Kill Switch,’

[Rocdenindy]

Homeland Security must disclose ?Internet Kill Switch,' court rules - Washington Times

Not really sure where to post this so admins feel free to fix it. I have heard of other countries using this "kill switch" but didn't know that it was in the works here. The ability of the government to limit communications would severely limit personal liberties and make it easier to control the masses. Both for good and bad. Thoughts?

 

[indykid]

The Civil War was organized and carried out without radio, internet or any other modern communication device, yet troops knew where and when to muster.

 

[Mgderf]

The Civil War was organized and carried out without radio, internet or any other modern communication device, yet troops knew where and when to muster.

As was the revolutionary war.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Keep in mind that the speed of communications in both of those incidents was the same for both sides. If one has access to interior communications (call it radios, telephones, intranet) and the other side doesn't, the side without the interior communications faces an uphill fight. It's not insurmountable, but it's definitely a disadvantage.

 

[netsecurity]

The article discusses wireless disruption. What it sounds like to me is more of a cell phone signal jamming, which is a pretty necessary and common security function in places like prisons. If terrorists take hostages in a theater, you don't want them making calls and working with forces outside, for example.

You can't have an Internet 'Kill Switch' unless all your data is routed through government controlled routers. So it is basically only possible in authoritarian regimes, where the government has a monopoly over telecommunications. The Internet Protocol (IP) was originally developed as a DISTRIBUTED networking protocol with redundancy being its main goal, since that is what is necessary for military use (DARPA invented IP). The only way I can even think of to take down our entire country's Internet here would be to sabotage the backbone (BGP) routing tables, but that should only be temporary. There is actually no way to "shut off" a distributed network, you can only disconnect branches of it at best.

 

[CathyInBlue]

The Internet treats censorship as damage and routes around it.

 

[SeaCaptain49]

How exactly would you "kill" the internet. It seems you could maybe block certain IP's, but it's not like you can just flip the off switch.

 

[RockofStrength]

The Civil War was organized and carried out without radio, internet or any other modern communication device, yet troops knew where and when to muster.

Quite true. Which is why Robert E. Lee's battle plans ended up in the hands of Grant, who then proceeded to completely wreck him.

Furthermore, the Government would not cut communications for their side of things, meaning that we'd be stuck with the Pony Express while they can use Instant Messaging. Not exactly a great thing when speed is everything.

 

[Mgderf]

There are still ham radios.

of course that would mean you'd have to keep on the move as you use it to prevent being located via triangulation.

 

[SeaCaptain49]

Quite true. Which is why Robert E. Lee's battle plans ended up in the hands of Grant, who then proceeded to completely wreck him.

Furthermore, the Government would not cut communications for their side of things, meaning that we'd be stuck with the Pony Express while they can use Instant Messaging. Not exactly a great thing when speed is everything.

Sorry, history fail there. Lee's battle plans for Antietam (1862) were accidently found by a Union Corporal when McClellan was in charge. Even though McClellan had the plans he hesitated, and at best, fought Antietam to a draw when he could have used the plans to destroy Lee.

Grant beat Lee by pummeling him with 3-1 superior numbers in the 1864 Overland Campaign. Grant earned the nickname "Butcher" as a result of the number of men he lost staging frontal assault after frontal assault on Lee's army.

 

[RockofStrength]

Sorry, history fail there. Lee's battle plans for Antietam (1862) were accidently found by a Union Corporal when McClellan was in charge. Even though McClellan had the plans he hesitated, and at best, fought Antietam to a draw when he could have used the plans to destroy Lee.

Grant beat Lee by pummeling him with 3-1 superior numbers in the 1864 Overland Campaign. Grant earned the nickname "Butcher" as a result of the number of men he lost staging frontal assault after frontal assault on Lee's army.

Quite right, I had misremembered the name.

 

[eatsnopaste]

Why would they try and cut off the internet...all they have to do is read it and know everything they need to know. Think your encryption will save you? The NSA laughs at you!

 

[Old_grunt]

The Civil War was organized and carried out without radio, internet or any other modern communication device, yet troops knew where and when to muster.

The telegraph was used extensively, in the Civil War. Samuel F. B. Morse had his 'code' finalized and working telegraph keys, lines and stations ran everywhere the railroads did.

 

[SaintsNSinners]

Sorry, history fail there. Lee's battle plans for Antietam (1862) were accidently found by a Union Corporal when McClellan was in charge. Even though McClellan had the plans he hesitated, and at best, fought Antietam to a draw when he could have used the plans to destroy Lee.

Grant beat Lee by pummeling him with 3-1 superior numbers in the 1864 Overland Campaign. Grant earned the nickname "Butcher" as a result of the number of men he lost staging frontal assault after frontal assault on Lee's army.

See battle of cold harbor

 

[Lex Concord]

The article discusses wireless disruption. What it sounds like to me is more of a cell phone signal jamming, which is a pretty necessary and common security function in places like prisons. If terrorists take hostages in a theater, you don't want them making calls and working with forces outside, for example.

You can't have an Internet 'Kill Switch' unless all your data is routed through government controlled routers. So it is basically only possible in authoritarian regimes, where the government has a monopoly over telecommunications. The Internet Protocol (IP) was originally developed as a DISTRIBUTED networking protocol with redundancy being its main goal, since that is what is necessary for military use (DARPA invented IP). The only way I can even think of to take down our entire country's Internet here would be to sabotage the backbone (BGP) routing tables, but that should only be temporary. There is actually no way to "shut off" a distributed network, you can only disconnect branches of it at best.

You think the required back doors wouldn't allow such control of the routers?

 

[Leo]

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80 meters AM all the way!

Every house should have a 1/4 wave folded Dipole on the roof. Plus the glow of the Halicrafters vacuum tubes makes a romantic night light.

 

[KLB]

You think the required back doors wouldn't allow such control of the routers?

Nope. That is all about seeing not controlling.

 

[CarmelHP]

The article discusses wireless disruption. What it sounds like to me is more of a cell phone signal jamming, which is a pretty necessary and common security function in places like prisons.

State and local prisons are barred from using cell jammers. The Communications Act of 1934 and the Telecommunications Act of 1996 prohibit the operation of cell-phone-jamming equipment by any person, including state and local officials.

If terrorists take hostages in a theater, you don't want them making calls and working with forces outside, for example.

In the Mumbai attack, trapped hotel guests helped the authorities locate and track the movement of the terrorists by using cell phones.

 

[netsecurity]

Nope. That is all about seeing not controlling.

And even if they had control, it wouldn't be of every single router. And even if every single router, repair work would be underway within minutes, and if necessary, new routers would be installed. Like I said, sabotaging the BGP protocol would be harder to repair, since adding millions of static routes would be a huge task. Replacing a router is easy as heck.

State and local prisons are barred from using cell jammers. The Communications Act of 1934 and the Telecommunications Act of 1996 prohibit the operation of cell-phone-jamming equipment by any person, including state and local officials.

I didn't know it was illegal. Maybe It was a movie I saw where the prisons had cell signals jammed, but I thought it was a documentary. If it is illegal for them to jam, then that could be why DHS needs to keep this secret! Because I suspect that is exactly what the "kill switch" is, a jammer that will block RF signal for Wifi and cell phones in their area of operations.

 

[OneShotFOGE]

The war was also fought for weeks after the South officially surrendered.