Today, at the Cyberconnect 2017 conference in New York City, former NSA director Keith Alexander took the stage to deliver the keynote address. During his address, he detailed one small but very depressing anecdote. According to reporter Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, a member of Congress once asked Alexander this disturbing question: “Should we outlaw the internet?”

Alexander says that one time a member of Congress asked him: “Should we outlaw the internet?” #CyberConnect — Lorenzo Franceschi-B (@lorenzoFB) November 6, 2017

Many officials are trying to weaken encryption to make online snooping easier–and this is surely an example of the types of people working to do that: Some unnamed lawmaker who wants the federal government to simply do away with the internet altogether.

If you’re looking for proof that many in the government don’t understand the technology they are actively trying to regulate, here you are.