The US Government Has An Internet Killswitch - And It's None Of Your Business
Submitted by Derrick Broze via TheAntiMedia.org,
On Monday the Supreme Court declined to hear a petition from the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) that sought to force the Department of Homeland Security to release details of a secret “killswitch” protocol to shut down cellphone and internet service during emergencies.
EPIC has been fighting since 2011 to release the details of the program, which is known as Standard Operating Procedure 303. EPIC writes, “On March 9, 2006, the National Communications System (‘NCS’) approved SOP 303, however it was never released to the public. This secret document codifies a ‘shutdown and restoration process for use by commercial and private wireless networks during national crisis.’”
EPIC continues, “In a 2006-2007 Report, the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (‘NSTAC’) indicated that SOP 303 would be implemented under the coordination of the National Coordinating Center (‘NCC’) of the NSTAC, while the decision to shut down service would be made by state Homeland Security Advisors or individuals at DHS. The report indicates that NCC will determine if a shutdown is necessary based on a ‘series of questions.’”
Despite EPIC’s defeat at the hands of the Supreme Court, the four-year court battle yielded a heavily redacted copy of Standard Operating Procedure 303.
The fight for transparency regarding SOP 303 began shortly after a Bay Area Rapid Transit (“BART”) officer in San Francisco shot and killed a homeless man named Charles Hill on July 3, 2011. The shooting sparked massive protests against BART throughout July and August 2011. During one of these protests, BART officials cut off cell phone service inside four transit stations for three hours. This kept anyone on the station platform from sending or receiving phone calls, messages, or other data.
In July 2012, EPIC submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the DHS seeking the full text of Standard Operating Procedure 303; the full text of the predetermined “series of questions” that determines if a shutdown is necessary; and any executing protocols related to the implementation of Standard Operating Procedure 303, distributed to DHS, other federal agencies, or private companies.
After the DHS fought the FOIA releases, a district court in Washington, D.C. ruled in EPIC’s favor, but that ruling was later overturned by the court of appeals. The appeals court told EPIC the government was free to withhold details of the plan under the Freedom of Information Act because the information might “endanger” the public. In 2015, the digital rights group asked the Supreme Court to review the ruling by the federal appeals court.
With the Supreme Court’s refusal to address EPIC’s petition, the issue seems to have reached a dead-end. The American people are (once again) left in the dark regarding the inner-workings of another dangerous and intrusive government program. It is only through the hard work of activists and groups like EPIC that we are at least aware of the existence of this program — but knowing bits and pieces about the protocol is not enough. In order to combat such heavy-handed measures, we need to have access to the government’s own documents. Hopefully, there is already a whistleblower preparing to release these details.
What we do with the information we do have is up to each of us as individuals. We can sit back and watch the United States further devolve into a militarized police and surveillance state — or we can spread this information, get involved locally, and create new systems outside of the current paradigm of control and exploitation.
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So does North Korea (at least they want to think they do).
It is called an EMP.
So does North Korea (at least they want to think they do).
It is called an EMP.
I guess no one has a cb or walkie talkie
Even those old radios might not work in an EMP or Carrington-event situation. Got doubled Faraday cage storage now? A Faraday box insulated inside a 30 gallon galvanized garbage can is a quick start. You could store coins and beans&rice and stuff in there too. Keep it high and dry.
Without access to Facebook for an extended period, there will be widespread civil unrest and mass suicides. Some will never recover.
You're 100% right. Just add Twitter and Instagram and people will be jumping out of windows!! I actually know people who will literally go ape shit if those websites ever shut down.
Emergency = uprising
I urge you all to look into broadband hamnet. Using OTC routers to create a mesh network running at higher power than stock devices via new firmware.
Again, decentralization will win over centralization, whether economically, politically, or in terms of systems being disrupted.
Fuck the fed and their SOP 303 bullshit. I'm still packing string and tin cans. UP THE FED'S!
I've got 2000 miles of string so I can still reach my broker and trade stocks. It's called an Estring by Etrade.
If the US government has a kill switch to shutdown internet access in the US, I'm sure they can shut it down selectively anywhere in the world.
I wonder if they can shutdown ATM networks as well.
Wasn't some country (Russia ?) coming up with an alternative to the internet ?
Yes, ink on paper cannot be shown, as it is too dangerous. You couldn't make this shit up.
We need to be grateful that they let us use the internet for as long as we have. Thank you master...
So how does one use their bitcoins when the plug is pulled?
You write out an IOU and sign it.
you trade two chickens for two bits.
So....
Basically, "Freedom of Speech shall not be infringed" has become "Freedom of Speech shall be infringed at the discretion of the government according to criteria held as a State Secret".
An executive that legislates isn't an executive.
A Judge that legislates isn't a judge.
A Supreme Court that rules not pursuant to the delegated powers of the Constitution is neither supreme nor a court.
Pretense is not fact.
when you rely on different branches of the same government for checks and balances, you don't get checks and balances, you get rubber stamps.
The second amendment is the check and the balance. Arm up, the time is near.
don't worry
i'm sure the police will still have someone answer 911 when muslims are raping your daughters
Your call is important to us.
It will be answered in the order it was received.
Please hold.
please take a number and stay by your phone. Thank you. You have receive number 232. You are rape 232 and we will send a car to take your statement no later than Wednesday of next week.
Governance and power are all about control of media, communication, and transportation. The cattle drive boss is winning..... signed: a cow.
If a large area such as an entire city or state went cell phone dark, they would have to also close down land lines to stop unrest from spreading to the rest of the country. It would be like a virus needing to grow in size. I do not know if there is a growth model that can predict the outcome once such a blackout went past a certain size.
Shut down the internet and all those pissed off posters will hit the streets like during Nam, the last war before the internet took everyone off the streets.
I hope that kill switch works as well as the Obamacare website.
windows 10 is THE KILLSWITCH:
watch smart ccc guy explaining windows 10 is a botnet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imXZqr5t89g
the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (‘NSTAC’) indicated that SOP 303 would be implemented under the coordination of the National Coordinating Center (‘NCC’) of the NSTAC, while the decision to shut down service would be made by state Homeland Security Advisors or individuals at DHS...
Meet your unelected (not like it matters lol) masters:
The moment that cunnt BO throws the kill switch, we storm the WH and flip our own kill switch.
You should know not to trust vulnerable technologies that depend on easily-controlled infrastructure. Anything as heavily computerized as today's electronic communications devices or bank accounts can be shut off at the source instantaneously as well as breached by saboteurs. No one with any sense goes about without backups: cash in a safe location, alternative communication protocols, and emergency plans of their own for dealing with the suspension of public infrastructure.
Those who can't live without technologies which require such constant and immense support networks, will at some point have no way to live.
You cant create another system outside current paradigm(and within already corrupted system), not only it is counterproductive but everything will be under current country law anyway. So if law say you have to give that option in your new system then you have to.
What need to be done is to (sigh, telling this again) murder your politicians and/or dethrone them for better, trusted ones. American Revolution 2 if you will.
With all said, killswitch is very bad thing, it will cause deaths as it cut many from emergency and last minute calls, it also prevent to call police etc. - assuming it turn off radio thus disabling those as well.
For those hapless rubes who handed over the guns and assumed the nanny benevolent state would take care of them . . . the State shutting down the internet and phones will be a real eye opening moment.
There is not better time to invest in a satellite phone. Cheaper than iPhones and Samsung.
How to talk using bluetooth on android phone
We need to create a webpage-portal (online community) either on FB or Twitter to keep us inform in case this killswitch goes nationwide. A satellite phone that we can use a hot-spot to keep us up to date of what's going on when that moment comes.
Gosh, what a surprise-- says the person with the Extra Class Amateur Radio License.
Tarabel:
+1000
I was thinking the same thing. I'd go with an old kenwood TS-440/450, Yaesu 757GX etc. (12 volt powered) with a simple 20 meter dipole.
We don't need no 'Murrican killswitch.
Once the Russia-China Silk Road Internet Protocol is up and running, together with ChinkSWIFT, you guys will be on your own.
We can all just communicate telepathically. Send me $49.95 today and I will send you the comprehensive, 30 day course on how to communicate without talking. Don't delay, supplies are limited...
Were people even *alive* before the Internet, like in the early 1990's?
No, people only appeared after the dot.com era.
No worries, if phone and internet go down, I start ticking down my 'payback' list. It's the unexpected feedback loops that crush tyrants of all shapes and sizes. Here's to Good Hunting!
Fec.gov all the data you need, even home addresses.
Killing the Internet is easy, killing the Internet that gets set up 2 hours after the government Internet is killled, almost impossible
Internet/communications get shut down the Mexicans go on looting orgy, walmart, banks etc.
EMP=INSTANT CHAOS
Gov using a kill-switch on the Internet would immediately cause a massive crises for the economy and other things too. So much of our economy and daily life is geared up to it. How would millions pay their bills if not via the Internet? How would people spend billions if not via the Internet?
The economy and business would tank within 24 hours.
Therefore one can only see a kill-switch as an absolute last resort when a revolution or civil war breaks out.
On the other hand, killing the cellphone network is another matter. In my view that would be the first thing to be killed to prevent people communicating with each other to organise the next event etc.