Internet Kill Switch Legislation Raises Concerns Over Government Powers

A cybersecurity proposal in the U.S. Congress, called an "Internet kill switch" plan by some critics, isn't exactly what that sounds like. Plans by members of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee to reintroduce 2010's Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act have led some critics to compare provisions in the bill to the Egyptian government's order to shut down all Internet access across the country during recent protests.

But the Egypt comparison -- and the term "Internet kill switch" -- is a stretch. Still, some tech and civil liberties groups have questioned the powers the proposal would give the president.

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