They're not much happier about a revised version that aides to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, have spent months drafting behind closed doors. CNET News has obtained a copy of the 55-page draft of S.773 (excerpt), which still appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency.
The new version would allow the president to "declare a cybersecurity emergency" relating to "non-governmental" computer networks and do what's necessary to respond to the threat. Other sections of the proposal include a federal certification program for "cybersecurity professionals," and a requirement that certain computer systems and networks in the private sector be managed by people who have been awarded that license.
This is very scary. Besides creating further barriers to market entry through another unnecessary licensure program (folks, it's not really capitalism when the government decides who can and can't do things, its corporatism that just protects the big dogs), the ability to declare a cyber-emergency (with no clear, congressionally-set guidelines to what that means) gives the Executive the power to declares martial law on information and free speech.
What if Bush had tried this?
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