Schneier addresses how words of “war” are producing dangerous collateral damage
Security expert Bruce Schneier has a new essay arguing that the language of war when applied to networks carries underappreciated risks: in this case that unbridled hype and its resultant fear will cause our society to both lose perspective and control.
As anyone who follows the headlines knows, cooler heads have already lost the upper hand, if not the battle for hearts and minds. Schneier writes:
We surely need to improve our cybersecurity. But words have meaning, and metaphors matter. There’s a power struggle going on for control of our nation’s cybersecurity strategy, and the NSA and DoD are winning. If we frame the debate in terms of war, if we accept the military’s expansive cyberspace definition of “war,” we feed our fears.
We reinforce the notion that we’re helpless — what person or organization can defend itself in a war? — and others need to protect us. We invite the military to take over security, and to ignore the limits on power that often get jettisoned during wartime.
He’s right but I fear it no longer matters. Who’s listening to voices of reason these days?
