In Depth

Freedom of the Cyber Seas

How lessons from the U.S. government's response to pirates in the early 1800s can help the next president of the United States improve information security

By Aaron Turner & Michael Assante

Following his inauguration in 1801, Jefferson translated his anti-tribute rhetoric into policy by refusing to meet the Bashaw's demand for $225,000 from the new administration. The Bashaw declared war on the United States and cut down the flagpole flying the Stars and Stripes in front of the U.S. Consulate in Tripoli. Jefferson responded by sending a group of American warships to defend U.S. interests in the Mediterranean. From 1801 to 1805, U.S. Navy and Marine units engaged Barbary forces on both land and sea. Finally, four years of hostilities culminated in the Battle of Derna, during which American forces routed the Tripolitans and forced the Barbary States to agree to a peace treaty, which was signed in Tripoli on June 10, 1805. The First Barbary War was the debut of American military forces' capability to project a U.S. president's policy beyond his own borders.

In the two centuries that have followed, American presidents and military leaders have come to consider free access to the world's oceans a fundamental component of U.S. sovereignty. The political, military and economic success of the United States is based upon the freedom to conduct commerce and project force over any ocean at any time. On many occasions, the U.S. government has been willing to exercise this freedom to protect its sovereignty, commerce and liberty. The consistent "freedom of the seas" policy and enforcement actions challenging any threat to the freedom benefit the collective international community and encourage other governments to aspire to the same goals. The current state of maritime law facilitates a stable and predictable environment--within which the United States can conduct its military and economic enterprises, assuring the continued success of the nation.

The Modern Equivalent: The Cyber Seas

In modern times, the nearly ubiquitous availability of powerful computing systems, along with the proliferation of high-speed networks, have converged to create a new version of the high seas--the cyber seas. The Internet has the potential to significantly impact the United States' position as a world leader. Nevertheless, for the last decade, U.S. cybersecurity policy has been inconsistent and reactionary. The private sector has often been left to fend for itself, and sporadic policy statements have left U.S. government organizations, private enterprises and allies uncertain of which tack the nation will take to secure the cyber frontier.

Threats that have surfaced in cyberspace are new only because the environment is new. In fact, they follow a pattern, and the United States has successfully managed similar threats in the past. We believe that now is the time for the United States to pursue a "Freedom of the Cyber Seas" policy, based on a successful model of the past--President Jefferson's approach to "Freedom of the Seas." The next president of the United States has the authority to implement a new approach, one that is designed to protect the United States from the increasing threats to our government and economy in cyber space. By understanding how the U.S. historically set maritime policy and projected its military and economic power, we can learn important lessons about the U.S.'s current cybersecurity challenges.

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