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US Rep. Joe Barton Has a Plan To Stop Terrorists: Shut Down Websites (arstechnica.com)

Posted by Soulskill on from the terrorism-didn't-exist-before-websites dept.

Earthquake Retrofit writes: In an FCC oversight hearing, U.S. Representative Joe Barton (R-TX) asked Chairman Tom Wheeler if it's possible to shut down websites used by ISIS and other terrorist groups. He said, "Isn't there something we can do under existing law to shut those Internet sites down, and I know they pop up like weeds, but once they do pop up, shut them down and then turn those Internet addresses over to the appropriate law enforcement agencies to try to track them down? I would think that even in an open society, when there is a clear threat, they've declared war against us, our way of life, they've threatened to attack this very city our capital is in, that we could do something about the Internet and social media side of the equation." Wheeler pointed out that the legal definition of "lawful intercept" did not support such actions, but added that Congress could expand the law to validate the concept. Meanwhile, the Senate Intelligence Committee is exploring the idea of using the recent terror attacks in France as ammunition to force tech companies away from end-to-end encryption. "Lawmakers said it was time to intensify discussions over what technology companies such as Apple and Google could do to help unscramble key information on devices such as iPhones and apps like WhatsApp, where suspected terrorists have communicated."

4 of 275 comments (clear)

  1. What city? by fey000 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes! Shutdown Facebook! Shut down Twitter! Shutdown those damn emojis and skateboards too! And don't forget the damn rap music!

    I will vote for that!

  2. Joe Barton? by Ultra64 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Oh yes, I remember. He's the one that thinks that wind turbines will use up the wind and cause Earth to warm up.

    https://www.facebook.com/reale...

    1. Re:Joe Barton? by cdrudge · · Score: 5, Informative

      Where do these people get their science?

      The Bible.

      A friend shared a page from AnswersInGenesis.com about how carbon dating isn't necessarily accurate. I stopped reading when I got to this passage:

      When a scientist's interpretation of data does not match the clear meaning of the text in the Bible, we should never reinterpret the Bible. God knows just what He meant to say, and His understanding of science is infallible, whereas ours is fallible.

      So yes, you are absolutely right. People do get their science from The Bible. Because it's the absolute word of God. As heard by man. And told to other men. And eventually written down by man as best as they could remember. And translated by man. And reinterpreted by man to fit their various beliefs even if they are self contradictory. But exactly verbatim what God said.

  3. much more effective to go after the money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Forget going after their internet communication. Go after their money. Bomb their trucks, bomb their oil wells. Block all money flowing from Saudi Arabia to ISIS. We can't do anything about random terrorists in Paris but we can do something about the huge area of land that ISIS is occupying. Many people in that region are joining ISIS just so they can get better food, cheaper electricity, and luxuries like Redbull. Seriously, why do they have access to American luxuries like Redbull. If we can do a trade embargo on Iran, surely we can do something about ISIS getting Redbull. Sure, Redbull isn't that important but if they are getting imports of that then you can be pretty sure that they are getting imports of a ton of other things. Cut off their money. I might even be in favor of taking out their electricity. Definitely bomb any oil rigs, gas tankers, etc.. under their control. If we have to airlift food in to feed the civilians, fine, but make sure that the terrorists there are not living more comfortable than the civilians. If you really want to go after their communications then don't worry about their communication over here but instead block their communication over there. Block their communication to the outside world, airdrop jammers so that the whole area is on radio silence. It's hard to deal with Terrorists living among us. It's really easy to deal with them when they occupy specific territory. Send their territory back to the stone ages. If they don't have electricity then we don't have to worry about whether or not they are using facebook. If they dislike modern culture then oblige them and send them back to the 1300s where their views belong.