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July 12, 2010

Kill the Internet Kill Switch

The second [problem with an internet kill switch] is that we can't predict the effects of such a shutdown.

The Internet is the most complex machine mankind has ever built, and shutting down portions of it would have all sorts of unforeseen ancillary effects. Would ATMs work? What about the stock exchanges? Which emergency services would fail? Would trucks and trains be able to route their cargo? Would airlines be able to route their passengers? How much of the military's logistical system would fail?.... Once we engineered a selective shutdown switch into the Internet, and implemented a way to do what Internet engineers have spent decades making sure never happens, we would have created an enormous security vulnerability. We would make the job of any would-be terrorist intent on bringing down the Internet much easier. -- Schneier on Security: Internet Kill Switch

Posted by Vanderleun at July 12, 2010 10:27 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

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