US government wants to take over internet control in disasters

President Obama has signed an order to safeguard communications in emergency situations. In such circumstances, the government is given the opportunity to take control of systems.

The presidential order gives government agencies the power to take control of telecommunications systems and the Internet in the event of natural disasters and security threats. According to Cnet, the idea behind the presidential order is that “government should have the ability to communicate. Always and under all circumstances’.

According to The Verge, there are also objections. For example, critics mainly point to point 5.2 of the order. That paragraph states that the Secretary of Homeland Security ‘oversees the development, testing, implementation and maintenance of a system that can be deployed in emergency situations’. This would enable the government to ‘take measures on military and civilian communication systems’. Critics say this gives the president too much power over the Internet’s infrastructure.