A poster at the Justice Department showing the five men charged this week with hacking the computers of American companies, presumably for the benefit of Chinese businesses. CreditJustice Department, via Associated Press
If China were smart, they'd call the State Department/FBI bluff and extradite these guys for trial in the U.S. Other than their so-called digital signatures, there's no way a U.S. jury would convict these guys. A public trial—where the accused could see the evidence against them—would seriously work to the benefit of the Chinese intelligence community. A big-time if-the-glove-doesn't-fit-you-must-acquit defense attorney could really make a name for himself. And China (or their proxies) could ignore any gag order and make their case along the lines stated in yesterday's New York Times story (read it here):
The Obama administration makes a distinction between hacking to protect national security, which it calls fair play, and hacking to obtain trade secrets that would give an edge to corporations, which it says is illegal. China and other nations accuse the United States of being the biggest perpetrator of both kinds of espionage.
Please don't misinterpret my post today as being the least bit sympathetic to China. The current
Mad Magazine version of Spy-vs-Spy unfolding by our bumbling policy engine is really kind of funny, and demonstrates the ludicrous futility of playing defense only. We could…drum roll…eliminate international shenanigans virtually overnight by adopting The Morgan Doctrine of privatizing international cyber security with licensed and bonded cyber privateers.
Taman Shud.
Hello Mr Gennett
ReplyDeleteThis situation is unclear and ,perhaps, out of control.
Really the United States government is going to hit the Chinese government?.
In America, you have the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. You've got drones now being considered for domestic surveillance. You have the National Security Agency building the world's giantest spy center.
The director of the FBI has been visiting Silicon Valley companies asking them to build back doors so that it can spy on what is being said online. The Department of Commerce is going after piracy. At home, the American government wants anything but Internet freedom.
Like any good spy novel, the Cox Report alleges that Chinese spies penetrated four U.S. weapons research labs and stole important information on seven nuclear warhead designs.
http://www.house.gov/coxreport/
When you really study espionage movies, or spy movies, the beginnings are really set up to have, like, an amazing bit of action, but at the moment you're watching it, you have no idea why or what it's about.
Thus, this official announcement is an official warning or a charade?
Bye.
.
http://www.house.gov/coxreport/