[valarauca1]

Trying to shut down IRC on the internet feels a bit like the government is running around attempting to cut telephone wires in the hopes it'll get enemy agents to stop communicating, when all it'll really do is annoy a bunch of innocent bystanders.

[dan1234]

IRC is also used as command and control for a lot of malware.

Bot-net owners can be disrupted if they can't access the channels their compromised machines are connecting to.

[valarauca1]

Telephone networks can be used to command and control spies too. Does that mean everyone who uses a public platform uses it for bad? No a subset of all users do.

I don't see what your comment adds to this discussion other then trying to justify their actions. I can use your logic for a few other examples:

Most terrorist enter the country by air travel, we need better airport screening.

Some people who cross the boarder illegally don't do so to find a better life, but to run drugs in america. We need better board protection and patrol.

Email is very useful to set up worm command and control networks, we should monitor or DDoS public email servers.

Your logic can be used to justify basically anything. Its a logically fallacy, the Strawman argument.

[drjesusphd]

That's actually not an example of a strawman. It's certainly a ridiculous position (X could be used for crime, therefore ban X), but I'm not sure what you'd call it.

[anigbrowl]

It's called a fallacy of composition.

[drjesusphd]

You made his point for him...

[Istof]

This isn't much different then many other things governments do, like the war on drugs for example.