Government declares a war on cybercrime
Date: November 02, 2010Source: Examiner.com
The American government has now declared a "war on cybercrime," in an effort to combat rising economic damage from cyber crime. According to the Pentagon, 922 cybercrimes are committed everyday in America and have almost doubled in damage from 2008-2009.
With cybercrime being a serious issue, can it be solved without threatening our liberty? According to Richard Clarke, local University of Pennsylvania graduate and past Special Advisor on cybersecurity and cyberterrorism for the Bush Administration,
“We [Government has] created a new military command to conduct a new kind of high-tech war without public debate, media discussion, serious congressional oversight, academic analysis or international dialogue.”
Well, it looks like this was done very secretively away from the public eye. The government has created "the United States Cyber Command" or "USCybercom" to guard electronic voting systems, nuclear plant networks and mass transit grids that could be at risk. Many fear abuse of the new government position that could possibly threaten the freedom of the internet. Some believe that some oversight is needed, but who will keep the government in check if they decide to go too far? Hopefully this won't affect those of us who are not committing cybercrimes, but now it seems like their foot is in the door of the internet -- could it only be a matter of time before a government take over?
Off of the top of my head, I can think of a few government-free solutions to cyber crime. If this is obviously an issue, both businesses and individuals should use extra precaution with their internet activities. Businesses could easily hire someone who specializes in web safety or computer specialists could begin to develop and market unhackable software solutions. The best fix available would be prevention rather than create an organization that only works after the crime has been committed.
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