Cybersecurity in October 2010, Wikileaks, an International Essay

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Cybersecurity

In October 2010, Wikileaks, an international organization that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media ("leaks") by anonymous sources, released "the Iraq War Logs," almost 400,000 documents which allowed major media outlets to map every death that took place in Iraq or Iran during the recent conflict. In November 2010, Wikileaks, released U.S. State Department diplomatic cables, creating an international scandal. The recent media coverage of these events and allegations against Wikileaks alleged director, Julian Assange, have brought forth important questions about cybersecurity on both a national and an individual level. Can legislative action adequately protect American individuals from the dangers of the changing nature of media? Should the government be charged with protecting individuals' cybersecurity? On one hand, the role of the government is to protect its citizens against threat and the threat of cyber-attack looms large against its citizen; on the other hand, this new danger reflects the changing world in which we live, with its increasing emphasis on the individual, and this reflects a growing obligation on the individual to protect him or herself.

According to a 2005 report in the CQ Researcher, nearly 10 million consumers are affected annually by lost or stolen data, costing the U.S. economy $53 billion (Katel). This warrants government action. Some would argue that it is the government's responsibility to protect its citizens, including their private property. Parallel to punishing a thief grabbing someone's purse and using her credit cards, laws against cybertheft can serve as a deterrent, discouraging other potential thieves from taking the same action.

Only the government, with its ability to organize and regulate multiple industries simultaneously, has the scope to protect us. This type of attack, spanning international boundaries, also deserves international intervention, the responsibility of the federal government.

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Protecting the American consumer warrants new legislation and coordinated action.

Though attacks on the national or international infrastructure seem terrifying, much more likely to affect an individual are attacks on their personal information or a company they patronize. "Eighty four percent of data breaches involved credit card information, and about one third involved personal information" (Marshall 173). This type of breach can feel personally invasive and embarrassing and can involve a tremendous amount of time and energy in returning one's personal credit to normal.

With the government's help in enforcement and creating appropriate oversight bodies, it is ultimately the individual's responsibility to protect him or herself. Putting all the responsibility in the hands' of the government or governments is shortsighted. Consumers could take better steps to protect themselves against hackers and simply do not. All the government regulation in the world will not help if people continue to act in unsafe ways. While a lawless society would also be inadvisable, this is substantively different from the gravity of a national attack. National resources should be devoted to regulating industry, not punishing cybercriminals.

Secondly, the U.S. government does not have adequate resources to protect its citizens. As cited in the CQ Researcher, the White House's own "Cyberspace Policy Review" concluded that, "The federal government is not organized to address this growing problem effectively now or in the future. Responsibilities for cybersecurity are distributed across a wide array of federal departments and agencies, many with overlapping authorities, and none with sufficient decision authority to direct actions that deal with often conflicting issues in a consistent way" (Marshall….....

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"Cybersecurity In October 2010 Wikileaks An International" (2011, February 17) Retrieved April 25, 2024, from
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"Cybersecurity In October 2010 Wikileaks An International", 17 February 2011, Accessed.25 April. 2024,
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