The thrust of this article is not government control of the internet, it's conspiracy theories and the damage they can do to society. I generally agree with the author and think that conspiracy fanatics do a lot of damage but I wanted to point to his concern, even as a person who is cautious of "truth decay", for the integrity of the internet and the gradual increase in the number and strength of control mechanisms that the government has at its disposal.
"...the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has begun to seize and shut down web domains without due process or trial. The initial focus has been sites that supposedly “violate copyrights” but the risk is that cyber censorship may be extended to, let’s say, combat alleged cyber terrorism. It’s a slippery slope.Last Monday, after several more websites were shut down, DHS held a hearing on the move to give the President more authority over the Internet during an emergency. Senate Homeland Security Committee Chair Joe Lieberman noted that China “can disconnect parts of the Internet in case of war and we need to have that here too.”
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