Privacy or Cyber-War

DCI Mike McConnell’s comments to the New Yorker is stirring controversy:

McConnell is developing a Cyber-Security Policy, still in the draft stage, which will closely police Internet activity.

“Ed Giorgio, who is working with McConnell on the plan, said that would mean giving the government the authority to examine the content of any e-mail, file transfer or Web search,” author Lawrence Wright pens.

“Google has records that could help in a cyber-investigation, he said,” Wright adds. “Giorgio warned me, ‘We have a saying in this business: ‘Privacy and security are a zero-sum game.’”

A zero-sum game is one in which gains by one side come at the expense of the other. In other words — McConnell’s aide believes greater security can only come at privacy’s expense.

With the government and media conglomerates crying over security and piracy concerns, there is a definite push underway to reign in the internet. It seems to be coming in a three-pronged approach: Filtering and limiting data, stripping anonymity, and tracking whereabouts online. It’s not exactly what they’re looking for, but it gets the job done by drastically changing the face of the internet in their favor.

I think this will be ultimately unsuccessful, and may, ironically, incite more problems than it solves. There is a widespread anti-status quo ethos online today. The government, specifically the Bush Administration, is fortunate that this discontent stays online and off of the streets. If the fight is brought online, however, the whole dynamic changes.

It’s the Vietnam draft all over again. Nobody gets off their ass and does something unless it affects them. If these methods were to adversely affect internet users, particularly the well-equipped, and highly skilled ones, a cyber-war could be uncorked. I’m not talking about blog posts either.