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

As part of the overall presidential plan, the president also must charge an appropriate federal organization with the charter of patrolling the cyber seas--issuing challenges where necessary and taking proactive defensive action to disrupt organized threats. This organization must work closely with the law enforcement and intelligence communities to identify bad actors and devise strategies to exploit the vulnerabilities associated with online criminal activity. We can go back to the example of how this strategy can be a success by looking at U.S. efforts on the illegal drug trade's supply lines across the Caribbean. The harassment, search and seizure activities effectively raised the cost of transporting illegal drugs, thereby forcing many drug cartels to build more-expensive transportation networks, and in some cases forcing criminals out of the market altogether. Similarly, on the cyber seas, we must increase the cost of conducting cybercrime and undermine the criminal marketplace.

The president's policy should also outline how U.S. diplomatic efforts can be coordinated through an international coalition of nations to develop the "laws of the cyber seas." The objective of the coalition would be to develop a body of international law designed to protect the rights of all nations and their citizens to conduct commerce and share information, with appropriate consequences outlined for those who violate those rights. There would be many issues to examine and debate, but an effort begun sooner rather than later to shape this new domain will be more effective and prevent greater losses.

The Internet has been an incredible experiment that has impacted how humans interact, conduct business and live around the world. It is time for its transition--through cooperation and where necessary unilateral action--into an established system where humankind can use it without apprehension or intimidation.

The president of the United States is one of the few individuals who have the authority and influence to affect a strategy as broad and complex as outlined above. The political, diplomatic and enforcement resources to set a consistent "freedom of the cyber seas" policy are vested in the Office of the President. Now is the time for that authority to be used to set a new course for our nation, and to challenge those who would subject America to the tyranny of criminal enterprises. Now is the time to demonstrate U.S. commitment to liberty and freedom--even on the cyber seas.

Michael Assante is an infrastructure protection strategist at the Department of Energy's Idaho National Lab and the former VP and CSO for American Electric Power, the largest generator of electric power in the United States. Aaron Turner, who manages security technology transfer and commercialization for the Idaho National Laboratory, previously worked in several of Microsoft's security divisions.

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