The "internet kill switch"

Well folks if you want to keep our freedom of speech and our ability to use the internet I suggest we all sign this petition and pass the link on to everyone we know

Stop the Switch!
Inspired by Egypt’s ability to cut off internet access to almost all of its people, governments around the world are racing to develop the same kind of “internet kill switch.” As we saw in Egypt, information blackouts created by shutting off the internet, fundamentally deny people their freedom of speech, prevent them from doing business online, and stop them from communicating with their friends and family. The spectre of an internet kill switch is now facing people living in democracies and dictatorships alike -- there is even an "internet kill switch" bill before the U.S. Congress!

The "internet kill switch" can work in one of two ways: either by giving the government the legal authority to demand that all internet service providers (ISPs) shut down, or by configuring a “switch” that controls their country’s entire internet infrastructure. We need a massive movement of internet users committed to protecting an open internet for all. Please sign the urgent petition below, which we'll deliver to those countries cosnsidering the switch, and globally to the United Nations which is meeting soon to discuss freedom of speech online.

Dear World Leaders,
"We believe that no country should have an 'internet kill switch,' that is, the ability to cut off access to the internet to an overwhelming majority of a nation's population through technical or legal means. The internet belongs to all of us and we call upon you to resist all efforts to develop such a capacity at home or abroad."

Sign Here

Access's live web symposium will examine the impact of new (social) media and the internet on political freedom. On the one hand, we can expect grassroots activists to make use of technology to facilitate their activities. On the other hand, the new era provides opportunities for dictators and regimes to survey and monitor like never before. With voices from academia to the front line, Access will explore how activists use the net, the challenges for state actors, and the likely winners and losers in the digital cat and mouse game.
Watch the symposim..........