George Tenet Recommends Limiting Access to the Internet   12/13/2004 - 1,051 views, 1 Comment

These are all things which we have come to take for granted as being available to us any time, anywhere, so long as we have the requisite pulmonary system, digestive system, or computer system, respectively.

But George Tenet, the recently-resigned Director of the CIA, believes that at least one of these, access to the Internet, should not be a open and free, but restricted and limited (he was unavailable for comment as to his beliefs about air and water).

According to Tenet, unrestricted access to the Internet provides a way for our enemies to attack our telecommunications infrastructure, and the Internet “represents a potential Achilles’ heel for our financial stability and physical security if the networks we are creating are not protected.”

In addition, the Washington Times reports, in a meeting this month which was closed to the press, Tenet said that the way that the Internet was built “might be part of the problem” and that “access to networks like the World Wide Web might need to be limited to those who can show they take security seriously”.

Just exactly what “taking security seriously” means, or who best to judge, is anyone’s guess. But Aunty can tell you this: if they outlaw Internet access, then only outlaws will have Internet access.

On the other hand, such a move just might make a dent in spam.

You can read more about this in the Washington Times.