The president having the ability to use an emergency as an excuse to take control of the entire freaking internet. What could possibly go wrong here? Besides the start of fascism, of course.

Internet companies and civil liberties groups were alarmed this spring when a U.S. Senate bill proposed handing the White House the power to disconnect private-sector computers from the Internet.

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.

Not even Congress, mind you. Just the president at his whim.

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.

So not only would the president have the authority to shut down the internet in the event of an “emergency”, but he’d have the authority to declare a state of said “emergency”. He basically has the power to shut down a primary tool of opposition activists, or even supporters who oppose a particular piece of legislation but usually support the president, at his whim.

How long before we here the following:

“Let me be clear. I usually wouldn’t take such extreme measures in such a situation, but I feel that this piece of legislation is crucial to the future of American. With special interest groups organizing mobs on the internet to lie to the American people and do everything possible to stop this crucial legislation, I’m left with no choice but to declare a cybersecurity emergency. “

You laugh. Let’s remember that Democrats are preparing to use a measure intended only to pass budget measures in order to ram through their socialization of the health care system. Original intent and even the constitution matters little to the Democratic leadership at this point. They’ll ignore both to achieve the goals in their agenda.

Anyway, the above isn’t actually the whole horrible bill. There’s also this:

Probably the most controversial language begins in Section 201, which permits the president to “direct the national response to the cyber threat” if necessary for “the national defense and security.” The White House is supposed to engage in “periodic mapping” of private networks deemed to be critical, and those companies “shall share” requested information with the federal government. (“Cyber” is defined as anything having to do with the Internet, telecommunications, computers, or computer networks.)

“The language has changed but it doesn’t contain any real additional limits,” EFF’s Tien says. “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.”

Translation: If your company is deemed “critical,” a new set of regulations kick in involving who you can hire, what information you must disclose, and when the government would exercise control over your computers or network.

So the government will decide who your company can hire, what information you have to hand over to it, and when it’ll simply take over your network. How is that even constitutional? It probably isn’t. But that has yet to stop the liberal Democratic leadership in the White House and Congress. They consider the constitution just some paper to wipe their collective asses with.

Via HAH.