Internet bill could help hackers, experts warn

Legislation cracking down on rogue websites could inadvertently help hackers who have struck major corporate and government targets in recent weeks, a group of computer science experts said.

"America is getting hacked," security consultant Dan Kaminsky said at a Center for Democracy and Technology briefing. "On a deep architectural level, we have to fix this or our economy cannot work." Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced the PROTECT IP Act to crack down on websites that sell copyrighted and counterfeited materials, and it passed out of committee in May. But Kaminsky and other Internet architecture experts object to a section that requires Internet service providers to use a controversial method known as domain name system filtering to direct traffic away from websites selling copyrighted or counterfeit materials. Authorities could use a court order to make service providers do the filtering -- in essence, redirecting web users from a rogue website to another website that carries a notice about why the site couldn't be reached. But the filtering mandate could undermine online safety initiatives that hinge on use of Web addresses, the experts say.