[Itpolicy-np] Internet Governance in an Age of Cyber Insecurity

[Bipin Gautam]

This email is dedicated to -- ICT incompetent people in Nepalese
policy making. Hope it helps! :P
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( Source : http://www.cfr.org/publication/22832/internet_governance_in_an_age_of_cyber_insecurity.html
)


Internet Governance in an Age of Cyber Insecurity
Author: Robert K. Knake, International Affairs Fellow in Residence
Publisher: 	Council on Foreign Relations Press

Release Date: September 2010

DOWNLOAD: http://www.cfr.org/content/publications/attachments/Cybersecurity_CSR56.pdf

Overview
The Internet, since its debut in 1989, has revolutionized commerce,
communication, military action, and governance. Much of the modern
world is simply inconceivable without it. This revolution, however,
has not come without a price. The annual cost of cyber crime has now
climbed to more than $1 trillion, while coordinated cyberattacks have
crippled Estonia, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan and compromised critical
infrastructure in countries around the world. While no fewer than six
UN bodies and multiple regional and national forums have sought to
build a consensus on the future of Internet governance, there has been
little progress thus far. The United States has largely abstained from
these discussions, instead focusing on developing its own offensive
and defensive cybersecurity capabilities while entrusting the ongoing
stability of the system to the expertise of the private sector.

In this Council Special Report, Robert K. Knake briefly examines the
technological decisions that have enabled both the Internet’s
spectacular success and its troubling vulnerability to attack. Arguing
that the United States can no longer cede the initiative on cyber
issues to countries that do not share its interests, he outlines an
agenda that the United States can pursue in concert with its allies on
the international stage. This agenda, addressing cyber warfare, cyber
crime, and state-sponsored espionage, should, he writes, be pursued
through both technological and legal means. He urges first that the
United States empower experts to confront the fundamental security
issues at the heart of the Internet’s design. Then he sketches the
legal tools necessary to address both cyber crime and state-sponsored
activities, including national prohibitions of cyber crime,
multilateral mechanisms to prevent and prosecute cyberattacks, and
peacetime norms protecting critical civilian systems, before
describing the bureaucratic reforms the United States should make to
implement effectively these changes.

Internet Governance in an Age of Cyber Insecurity is a timely
contribution on an issue increasingly capturing the attention of
policymakers. It presents technical ideas to the nonexpert in
accessible and compelling language. The report leaves little doubt
about the importance of cybersecurity to the future of both the United
States and the Internet itself, and its recommendations provide a
strong foundation for future action.
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