Council on Foreign Relations. Independent Task Force on Defending an Open, Global, Secure, and Resilient Internet's Books

Over the course of the last four decades, the Internet has developed from an obscure government science experiment to one of the cornerstones of modern life. It has transformed commerce, created social and cultural networks with global reach, and become a surprisingly powerful vehicle for political organization and protest alike. And it has achieved all of this despite -- or perhaps because of -- its decentralized character. This vision, however, and the Internet to which it gave rise, is under threat from a number of directions. States are erecting barriers to the free flow of information to and through their countries. Even Western governments do not always agree on common content standards -- the United States, for example, is more accepting of neo-Nazi content or Holocaust denial than are France or Germany. Other countries' efforts to control the Internet have gone far beyond limiting hate speech or pornography. Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and others have considered building national computer networks that would tightly control or even sever connections to the global Internet. State and nonstate actors, moreover, now regularly attack the websites and internal systems of businesses. Most of these attacks are for theft -- cost estimates of intellectual property losses range as high as $500 billion per year. Other activities are related to sabotage or espionage. Hacking and defacing websites or social media feeds is a frequently used tool of political competition, while destructive programs such as Stuxnet are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Such activities can be expected to become more commonplace as critical systems become more interconnected and financial and technical barriers to entry for cyber activities fall further. A balkanized Internet beset by hostile cyber-related activities raises a host of questions and problems for the U.S. government, American corporations, and American citizens. The Council on Foreign Relations launched this Task Force to define the scope of this rapidly developing issue and to help shape the norms, rules, and laws that should govern the Internet.

Book's by Council on Foreign Relations. Independent Task Force on Defending an Open, Global, Secure, and Resilient Internet

Defending an Open, Global, Secure, and Resilient Internet

Defending an Open, Global, Secure, and Resilient Internet

Defending an Open, Global, Secure, and Resilient Internet

Defending an Open, Global, Secure, and Resilient Internet

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