OBAMA SEEKING TOTAL CONTROL OF THE INTERNET

August 29 2009

Washington, D.C. – There is little doubt that the events of September 11, 2001 changed the United States forever. Outside the fear and panic and the sense of vulnerability that it created in the American people, the status quo in dealing with
external threats was irrevocably altered by the events of the day. From the Patriot Act to secret imprisonments and warrantless wire-tapping the make-up of the country was altered just as much as the landscape of New York City was on the fateful day. Now almost a decade later those changes are continuing.

A controversial new bill being presented to the Senate proposes giving the President and the cabinet unprecedented access to private internet connections and would in the case of a major attack against the country allow the authorities to shut down access entirely.
The bill also encompasses control over all forms of digital communication including phone service and would allow total access by the government in the face of an imminent threat. Though it’s unclear what type of threat would have to present itself for the government to use such drastic techniques but some are speculating that this could just be the first move in a salvo to stave off Republican advances in the next round of elections.

“As soon as you're saying that the federal government is going to be exercising this kind of power over private networks, it's going to be a really big issue. The language has changed but it doesn't contain any real additional limits,” said Lee Tien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “It simply switches the more direct and obvious language they had originally to the more ambiguous (version)...The designation of what is a critical infrastructure system or network as far as I can tell has no specific process. There's no provision for any administrative process or review. That's where the problems seem to start. And then you have the amorphous powers that go along with it.”    

Security concerns aside, the greatest concern amongst privacy advocates is the motivation behind the bill especially as the President’s popularity begins to plummet. Though no major Republican candidates have stepped forward for the 2012 race many inside the Obama administration are already noticeably worried.

“The decline in popularity isn’t just a measure it is also a tool used by the opposition. Look at the movie industry. Every week they talk about how much each film made over the weekend and the reason is psychological. If a movie makes a fortune that means all your friends have seen it and loved which in turn motivates you to go as well. The same works in politics and they are all very aware of the impact that declining popularity can have,” said Scrape TV Political analyst Gabriel Kinsey. “Whether or not this is deficit is up for debate, but the harsh reality is Obama’s succession to the Presidency was based largely on the cult of personality and that was achieved through their success harnessing of the internet and its audience. The Republicans saw that last time around and will not allow themselves to be caught so far behind next time, which of course would be very difficult if Obama was controlling the internet.”

It’s not clear what impact the administration would have on overseas access to the web which, due to its large military contingent tends to vote Republican. It is believed that when the administration gains total control of the internet they will allow limited Republican access simply for appearances sake.

“It’s no accident that ICANN’s influence over the internet is due for renewal this year. This would be the perfect time for an interested and able body to gather control of the network and sue it for their own purposes, re-election apparently chief among them,” continued Kinsey.

“Of course this could all be a lot more innocent and less damaging than that. Obama is a movie and music lover and download speeds can be horrific at times. If he were able to control every computer linked to the net he would be able to have as many seeds as he needed to download quickly. He is after all the leader of the free world and doesn’t have time to wait alongside a thousand other leechers. This would make it a lot easier for him to do the job he has been elected to.”

Officially President Obama only uses iTunes to access music, though reportedly his browsing history shows visits to Mininova and The Pirate Bay.

Martin Philton, Technology Correspondent