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Pentagon's Cybercommand Raises Privacy Fears

Militarization of cybersecurity fuels debate on rules of engagement

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 13, 2009 8:04 AM CDT

(Newser) – Plans to put America's cybersecurity under the control of the Pentagon are raising some thorny privacy and diplomacy issues, the New York Times reports. President Obama has insisted that the military, under the cybercommand being developed, will not be monitoring private sector networks and Internet traffic—but Pentagon officials say the nature of cyberwarfare could make that promise difficult to guarantee.

Military officials believe it could be necessary to intercept some messages from abroad to check for viruses and terror threats as a kind of "digital customs inspection." The cybercommand, to be headed by a four-star general, will be tasked with carrying out attacks when necessary, and the military is trying to figure out the rules of engagement for when the threat comes from servers in neutral countries.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (2)]

Administration officials are considering changing some laws to allow the military greater access to networks and Internet providers to tackle cyber-threats. (Shutter Stock)

The Pentagon's cybersecurity role "will not, repeat, will not include monitoring private sector networks or Internet traffic," President Obama said last month. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

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If the Pentagon and the military services see cyberspace as a battlefield domain, then the lines protecting privacy and our civil liberties get blurred very, very quickly.
- Peace activist Frida Berrigan

How do you understand sovereignty in the cyberdomain? It doesn’t tend to pay a lot of attention to geographic boundaries.
- Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 4 comments

ack

Jun 14, 2009 12:27 PM CDT

Yes, we can say those things, but we have no way of knowing if and how they might be held against us. Imagine being pulled over for speeding, and having the police told, "He is known to have made anti-government statements." Wonder what would happen. For that matter, how many times have you heard of someone who was arrested having "anti-government propaganda" in his home? Maybe it was just a "DUMP BUSH" sticker....

Doctor-Zaius

Jun 13, 2009 2:25 AM CDT

At the risk of sounding paranoid I find some of these developments to be disturbing.

metalworldorder

Jun 13, 2009 1:58 AM CDT

Isn't there a bit of irony in criticizing America by saying it's a police state with secret police? Just the fact you're able to criticize our government in such a fashion--wouldn't that point to the fact there's no big brother? I don't understand why poeple would be against internet security. As it is, the government's pretty susceptible to DoS attacks among other things. I say it's about time they realized how vulnerable we are on the internet front.

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Development of cybercommand fuels debate
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Politics • Technology

Pentagon • cyberwarfare • cyberterrorism • Department of Homeland Security • National Security Agency

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Pentagon's Cybercommand Raises Privacy Fears