Fighting Terror Online The Convergence of Security, Technology, and the Law [Paperback]

This book presents the position that the online environment is a significant and relevant theater of activity in the fight against terror. It identifies the threats, the security needs, and the issues unique to this environment. The book examines whether the characteristics of this environment require new legal solutions, or whether existing solutions are sufficient. Three areas of online activity are identified that require reexamination: security, monitoring, and propaganda.

This book ?nds its roots in the horror that engulfed us all around the globe as we experienced and watched with disbelief the events of September 11, 2001. Naturally, policy-makers around the world rushed to examine their law enforcement capabilities and the suitability of these tools to the new war on terror. This examination resulted in a wave of legislation around the world, aimed at increasing the power of law enforcement agencies. The digital environment was a major focus of these regulatory and legis- tive attempts. Given the horror of the events and the haste to provide law enforcement agencies with the best tools possible to ?ght the new threat, policy-makers moved forward without much public discussion. Legis- tors around the world rushed to do the same. No real public debate took place before the USA PATRIOT Act was approved by Congress, 6 weeks 1 after 9/11. Our concern is that the publics voice is also needed in this process.TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter One. The Balance between Security and Civil Rights 1.1 Mapping the Threats: Preventing Physical and Virtual Terrorist Attacks 1.2 Designing Policies to Address New Security Threats 1.2.1 Information warfare. 1.2.2 Data security. 1.2.3 Gathering information and surveillance. 1.2.4 Regulation of encryption products 1.2.5 Terror propaganda 1.3 Preserving Civil Liberties 1.3.1 The right to privacy 1.3.2 Freedom of expression 1.3.3 Enforcement. 1.4 Electronic Commerce and Innovatls