

White House gives Homeland Security control of communications in emergencies - maxsavin
http://rt.com/usa/white-house-systems-order-142/

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ihsw
The real purpose of this order is probably because Executive Order 12472
(which established the National Communication System) has become quite out of
date, particularly because that EO detailed telephone communications while
this one details more general cyber-security issues.

The NCS was a department that was absorbed into the DHS and this EO
effectively puts the NCS to an end.

See more:

[http://www.dhs.gov/office-cybersecurity-and-
communications](http://www.dhs.gov/office-cybersecurity-and-communications)

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Cyber_Security_Divisio...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Cyber_Security_Division)

This EO is simply a formality, rather than some dangerous encroachment or
commandeering of the internet's infrastructure.

~~~
mehmehshoe
Can the DHS even handle setting up and overseeing such a system? That is what
scares me. This is just one big juicy target.

~~~
ihsw
It's a lot more complicated than anybody can possibly imagine, and it's
probably why the Obama administration has given NSA's General Alexander so
much backing in recent spying revelations.

In addition to the spying revelations, there has been concerns about the US
Government's ability to manage and maintain confidentiality, integrity, and
accessibility of critical communications in case of major and sustained
attacks on its communications infrastructure.

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hrdinsky
Note this was signed in 2012, July 6th.

Not much coverage before: [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-
office/2012/07/06/execut...](http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-
office/2012/07/06/executive-order-assignment-national-security-and-emergency-
preparedness-)

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jayfuerstenberg
I predict the first instance this privilege is invoked that mesh networks and
apps developed around them will rise in popularity.

~~~
threeseed
No doubt. But we are still talking about a handful of people at most.

How many geeks have ownership of the roof of a tall building ?

~~~
contingencies
Many geeks have access to high places. They don't have to own them or own them
outright. Also, many average people could be trivially sold on contributing to
interconnecting for shared benefits: fast, cheap internet, vast amounts of
locally cached media, LAN games, and access to redundant connectivity. The way
things are going with mobile ad-hoc networking, though, a lot of these human-
speed agreements will become less of a requirement. Maybe a friend allowing
you in to a trust network and the provision of connectivity or other resources
will likely suffice for automated acceptance. (Yeah, spam, freeload, etc. But
these are ~solveable by proxy-penalizing whoever lets such nodes in.) Some
such communities might also want to run shared surveillance of their
geographic perimiters (or local wildlife!).

