AFFIRMATIVE - DISADVANTAGE — PRIVACY HURTS SECURITY — LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIME DAMAGED 211

ARGUMENTS ABOUT CYBER-TERROR AND HACKERS ARE EXAGGERATED

FEAR MONGERING ABOUT INFOWAR AND CYBERTERRORISM IS OVERBLOWN AND EXAGGERATED

K.K. Campbell, The Toronto Star, April 6, 2000, TITLE: OUT OF CONTROL? // acs-EE2001

McCandlish thinks the private sector is ''being fairly straightforward." Their costs are real in trying to patch problems. But, he says the ''fear- mongering by the government sector is a little ridiculous."

He says the constant talk about ''cyberterrorism" and ''infowarfare" is overblown and certainly doesn't call for new laws.

''It takes FAR less effort and technology to bomb a traintrack or contaminate a water supply than it does to shut down the U.S. government's Internet access," McCandlish says. ''Or to steal billions of dollars worth of trade secrets from U.S. corporations, for that matter."

FEAR OF HACKERS, INTERNET SECURITY AND CYBERTERRORISM IS A LOT OF EMPTY HYPE WITHOUT SUBSTANCE

K.K. Campbell, The Toronto Star, April 6, 2000, TITLE: OUT OF CONTROL? // acs-EE2001

''Hackers are the scapegoats for the new Cold War," Hirsch says. ''They are a justification for an Internet surveillance state. To a large extent, they pose no threat to users, only to gatekeepers."

There are many people who believe the current hysteria is fanned by those with a vested interest in it: the security industry. Much as the hype around Y2K sold billions in goods and services, the security industry sells more when the president of the United States talks about cyberterrorism.

''The focus on some hacker phantom menace is a lot of hype," says Hirsch. ''But, the issues are very real. In the end, it's not about hackers versus cops, it's about informed users building a better Internet based on their own active participation.

CYBER ATTACKS ARE NOT TOO SERIOUS AND CAN BE DEALT WITH

LEONARD KLEINROCK, professor of computer science at UCLA, Los Angeles Times, February 15, 2000, SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 7; TITLE: COMMENTARY; ACT SOONER, RATHER THAN LATER, ON INTERNET SECURITY// acs-EE2001

The recent attacks have been mild compared to the kinds of truly damaging attacks that could have occurred. This is a clear wake-up call. We have been given fair warning and we must address these issues in a way that preserves the openness of the Internet. Democratic societies have always had to pay a price for freedom, but the rewards have exceeded the cost. The Internet now faces such a situation. The sky is not falling, the Internet will not collapse, the problem is manageable, but good judgment, creative engineering and care are required to protect its culture of open access.

RISK OF HACKERS AND INFO TERRORISTS ARE WILDLY EXAGGERATED

ROBYN E. BLUMNER St. Petersburg Times January 23, 2000, SECTION: PERSPECTIVE; Pg. 1D TITLE: Security program threatens privacy // acs-EE2001

The administration justifies its plan, with its huge expenditures and the creation of a new bureaucratic security establishment, by warning that: "The most vital sectors of our economy - power generation, telecommunications, banking and finance, transportation and emergency services - are potentially susceptible to disruptions from hackers, terrorists, criminals or nation states." But these fears are overblown at best. According to the watchdog group Electronic Privacy Information Center, the fears are also being fed by the National Security Agency, which is the secretive arm of the Defense Department. The NSA has convinced the administration that an "electronic Pearl Harbor" could happen at any time - a notion some computer experts call "more Hollywood than hard fact."