A hundred years from now historians will write that one of America’s greatest contributions to the world was the Internet. Though other countries and foreign citizens contributed to the effort, U.S. government funding and American academics and technologists created the Internet. As U.S. dependence on the Internet for our economic prosperity, security, and public safety have increased, why have we abdicated our role as overseer and arbiter?
The sad reality is that the U.S. Government seems to have willfully surrendered our seat at the table and ceded leadership to private technology companies and others who desire a more prominent role in governing the Internet. Unfortunately, this includes nations that would use their leadership in ways that are inconsistent with Western democratic norms. This abdication is not a waning of influence as a result of newfound technological superiority by other countries, but rather a relinquishment of our earned influence through an astonishing lack of leadership and diplomacy.
The recent Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace illustrates this new U.S. Government apathy. The Paris Call brought together 50 countries, 130 private sector groups, and 90 research organizations and universities as signatories which, though it does not prescribe any legislation, calls for international norms of cyberspace. Principles include:
- Promote human rights on the Internet;
- Stop election hacking;
- Cease the theft of intellectual property via hacking and stop malicious cyber activities in peacetime;
- Mentions that private sector organizations have a unique responsibility in cybersecurity.
The U.S., Australia, and Israel, as well as notable antagonists North Korea, China, Iran, and Russia, did not sign the accords. It’s the rare event when the United States joins notoriously repressive regimes like North Korea, China, Iran, and Russia in doing anything, much less squandering an opportunity to show international solidarity on an issue creating such turmoil around the globe. This abstention should alarm American citizens.
Other recent and notable examples of U.S. Government passivity include the 2018 rollout of the European Union General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). These forward-leaning regulations, while perhaps over-reaching by traditional U.S. measures, nonetheless impact both private sector companies and U.S. citizens in profound ways. These new privacy and security guidelines have raised the bar on global Internet governance and nations that dismiss them without providing acceptable alternatives will pay a price.
As the evolution of technology continues at an ever-increasing pace, with new innovations occurring almost daily in 5G, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence, there are crucial requirements for establishing societal norms in harmony with U.S. and Western cultural priorities. These requirements necessitate a physical and deliberate presence. The U.S. Government’s abdication of Internet governance is more than a simple disservice to its citizens, it is also a failure in its fundamental role to provide for the safety and security of the nation.
The U.S. needs to get in the arena. There is no “one size fits all” legislative or investment strategy for the foreign policy and domestic issues associated with cybersecurity, data privacy, content monitoring and fake news. They require different actions by public and private stakeholders and therefore have different outcomes, beneficiaries, restrictions, and metrics of success. But all of it requires a presence.
The dialogue today does not reflect these nuances, and ultimately degrades public understanding of the need for meaningful reform – especially given the unfamiliarity that most senior government officials have with the Internet, cybersecurity, and technology in general. The fearmongering by some that America has fallen behind Europe, China, and Russia with regards to the digital arms race, does not help either.
Leadership begins with bold aspirations and that is what’s needed to correct our current course. The first step is simple – get in the game, grab our seat at the table, and re-seize our rightful leadership role. The dialogue, legislation, and investment will be complex, but further delay in U.S. government participation will increasingly disenfranchise us from the world’s Internet community. We cannot afford to sit out the discussion. A robust, innovative, and secure Internet requires positive, continuous, and conscious action – something absent in the U.S. government today.
Mark Weatherford is the former Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Read more from Mark in The Cipher Brief...
Paul Doherty is an advisor to venture-backed cybersecurity startups and global technology companies. He currently works for identity cybersecurity startup OverWatchID.
