Computer Security, Privacy and Politics: Current Issues, Challenges and Solutions

The last decade of the 20th century was the decade of the Internet. The invention of the World Wide Web (Web) by Tim Berners-Lee, who built the first Web site in 1991 while working at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (or CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, started a world-wide trend in developing Web sites not only for personal and research purposes, but for disseminating governmental information and for engaging in global electronic commerce. Thus the Internet, with its “killer application,” the Web, heralded the furious pace of globalization in the 1990s. Today, as the Internet and the Web continue their furious growth and global spread, they have filtered down to encompass every aspect of society. Nowadays it is rare to see an aspect of domestic or public life that is not in some way touched by the Internet. This situation is not restricted only to the technologically developed countries, but is becoming increasingly prevalent in developing countries too. As a result, new terms and phrases such as “virtual world,” “cybercrime,” “computer virus,” “data privacy,” “identity theft,” and “data mining” have entered the everyday vocabulary. Debates have ensued on the virtues and vices of the Web and the consequent large scale digitization that it has heralded. While many have argued that the pace of the growth of the Internet, the Web, ecommerce, and digitization should continue without any curbs or governmental restrictions, others have argued the exact opposite—that these should be actively regulated and controlled through laws both domestic and international. The latter group has argued that unregulated and unmitigated growth of the Web coupled with the current pace of digitization of almost all data belonging to individuals could cause an erosion of privacy and cause them to become exposed to malware and identity theft. This would, they argue, curb e-commerce and seriously affect global economic development and growth. Indeed, in the 1990s the Internet was considered to be a virtual world that was ungovernable and thus could not fall under the purview of any government. Proponents of this view felt that the users of the Internet would somehow govern themselves and make it into a global vehicle of commerce and information outside of any governmental influence. However, in recent years, realizing the importance of the Internet, governments also have stepped in to flex their muscles in an attempt to gain control of the Internet through regulations and laws. Predictably, increasing government regulation of the Internet has its detractors who believe that certain fundamental rights such as the freedom of expression may be lost if the government controls the Internet. These developments and trends have, inevitably, led to a four-way tussle: between the public, governmental policy makers, the technology industry, and the businesses that use the technologies. This intersection of politics, law, privacy, and security in the context of computer technology is both sensitive and complex. As we are all aware, computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spy-ware, computer exploits, poorly designed software, inadequate technology laws, politics, and terrorism all have a profound effect on our daily computing operations and habits. Further, new technological innovations such as file-sharing software and location-based tracking tools also have major privacy-related, political, and social implications. In such an environment, various questions arise, such as: Can there be global laws to preserve security? How will such laws affect privacy? What are the politics of security and privacy? What is the role of legal systems in the way privacy is addressed in various nations? What is the connection between privacy and democratization in various countries? How do organizations tackle the issue of privacy? What are the implications of file-sharing software, peer-to-peer systems and instant messaging in autocratic societies? What are the global effects of file sharing? Are there cultural differences that account for differences in perceptions of security and privacy? Does national or regional culture play a role in shaping the political arguments pertaining to security and privacy? If yes, to what extent? Unfortunately, basic knowledge and understanding of computer security, especially the legal, political and social underpinnings concerning the use of security technologies within organizations and in the society at large is generally lax. There is a general sense that while security has not improved, privacy has been lost. There is concern about the misuse of information by companies and governments. There also is a general sense that the problems are only getting worse—new developments including electronic voting, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, location-based tracking technologies, and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) only add to the confusion and concern about security and privacy. In addition, national and international politics play a very important role in shaping the discourse on privacy and security. This book aims to provide a window to academics and practitioners to view and understand the ties that bind computer technology, security, privacy, and politics. In addition to chapters on the above topics, the book will also include chapters that delve into emerging lawsuits and cases, global and societal implications, and how an individual can protect herself from attacks on privacy. The 14 chapters of this book offer: