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from the this-explains-why-we-never-have-bars dept.
The US government will be forced to explain why its cell network kill-switch plans should be kept secret today.
Under Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 303, the US government – in particular the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – is allowed to shutdown cellphone service anywhere in the country, and even across an entire city if it feels there is a crisis situation.
However, the actual content of the policy remains secret, raising fears that it is open to abuse. For example, it's not clear who is authorized to make such a decision nor under what circumstances.
There are also groups concerned that killing of cellphone service during an emergency could make things worse.
In a frequently quoted example, San Francisco's rail system BART flipped a cell network kill-switch in several subway stations in 2011 amid a protest over a BART cop who shot and killed a drunk homeless man ( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/12/bart_polioce_cut_mobile_phone_service/ ). Charles Hill allegedly threw a knife at an officer before the police opened fire.
The fact that the network shutdown was ordered against a public demonstration raised immediate concerns over how the policy is written and implemented.
In February 2013, sparked by the BART event and a refusal by the DHS to release the policy under a Freedom of Information Act request, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) sued the DHS ( https://regmedia.co.uk/2015/04/27/epic-case-dhs-phone-kill-switch.pdf ) [PDF] in order to get it to disclose the details.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday April 30 2015, @06:33PM
Shutting down cell towers for "public safety" sounds a lot like what the People's Republic of China did to try to quell protests in Hong Kong recently. Of course, the crafty protestors used FireChat instead. But it's still something a totalitarian state does, not what an alleged democracy does.
Is America still a democracy? (first guy to quip "republic" gets slapped with a fish...)
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2015, @07:10PM
It's lunchtime. So..Republic?
Where can a guy get some lemon around here?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2015, @07:42PM
If you know that it is a Republic, then why did you call it a Democracy?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2015, @08:00PM
Because a republic is a type of democracy you fucking moron. "Republic" is to "democracy" as "cadillac " is to "car".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2015, @09:51PM
Slap me with a fish for noting that a democracy can also allow you to be sure to not choose the wrong lizard.
Or, in other words, "democracy" does not imply direct causality for absolute civil rights.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Thursday April 30 2015, @11:08PM
America is whatever you want as long as you can pay K-street enough :P
(and voters can just watch themselves being fucked over regardless of their standard type of voting)
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday April 30 2015, @11:50PM
I think you're right, so I'll pose another question: If this government does not work for the vast majority of the people in the country, why not scrap it and build something better?
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by kaszz on Friday May 01 2015, @12:01AM
Guess who hold the controls? the media, school curriculum, power of organized violence, business opportunities, thug law etc.
Why would they ever remove themselves? ;) and how do you wake up individualized people to a common goal in an environment that makes stress, poverty, drone choirs etc a common fact of life.