Remarks by Ambassador Richard H. Jones
Conference "Fighting Terror in Cyberspace"
Sunday, December 11, 2005,
Ben Gurion University, Negev  

It is a pleasure to be able to join you today at your conference dedicated to one of the most vexing problems of our high-tech era – the struggle against terror in cyberspace.

The revolution in global information technology has changed the way we live our lives – it has reduced the cost of doing business, facilitated the flow of ideas between previously isolated societies, and has definitely made it easier to research the topic of cyber terrorism. However, technological innovations often have multiple uses and information technology is no exception. This revolution is truly a double-edged sword. Our interconnected information society has also revolutionized how terrorists spread their message of hate and destruction, recruit new members, and finance operations.

From chat rooms to online money transfers to free publicity for their heinous acts – terrorists and terrorist organizations around the world have successfully enlisted the Internet in their murderous campaigns.

I was serving in Iraq when the first Internet cafes began opening in Baghdad and around the country. We celebrated this great leap forward in the Iraqi people’s ability to interact directly with the outside world. However, it turned out that terrorists were among the first Iraqis to adopt this modern technology. They soon began to use the Internet to spread their propaganda and to communicate with their partners in Iraq and abroad. Fortunately, in Iraq access to the Internet was limited enough that we quickly found ways to prevent terrorists from using the cafes to further their goals.

The Internet is of course not the first technology that has transformed how would be revolutionaries disseminate their propaganda. This phenomenon no doubt began with the invention of the printing press. Most recently perhaps, the 1970s saw the rise of cassette tapes. It wasn’t long before Ayatollah Khomeini began using this new technology to spread his revolutionary theology across Iran. However, the Internet goes far beyond the humble cassette tape. It enables instantaneous worldwide distribution of uncensored multimedia messages without fear of retribution. In doing so, it can spawn actual terror attacks in a way that previous technologies never did.

It is no wonder that at the World Summit on the Information Society held in Tunis just last month the participants adopted an agenda that underlined the “importance of countering terrorism in all its forms and manifestations on the Internet, while respecting human rights and in compliance with other obligations under international law.” This underscores that a key challenge of the Internet age: how to apply existing law to the digital world even while we develop novel legislation to deal with the new complexities it creates.

For example, when we speak of cyber terrorism we don’t only mean those who use the Internet to organize physical attacks but also those who use it to attack other Internet users. Unlike a suicide bomber or airplane hijacker, this brand of cyber terrorist can create terror from the comfort of his living room, with little personal risk

The worst nightmare for technology-dependent societies of the 21 st century could well be a campaign of attacks perpetrated by unknown terrorists operating through the Internet to damage or shut down key communication, financial, or security networks. How many of us would be able to carry out our day-to-day lives without the information and communications technology we rely on so heavily? It’s how we pay bills, connect with family and friends, and collect and organize information. More importantly, it’s also how governments, major corporations and financial institutions collect and move critical data from place to place.

The United States recognizes this threat. Our law enforcement agencies, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, are committed to securing the Internet and the key public infrastructure that relies on digital technology from the threat of cyber terrorism.

To help make sure that the U.S. government has the most up-to-date information about possible vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks, the FBI pioneered an information-sharing program with private industry in the United States. Such public-private partnerships for defending ourselves against cyber crime and cyber terrorism are rapidly becoming essential. After all, governments do not own the vast majority of “soft targets” – power grids, financial institution records, and communications networks that can be struck through the Internet.

Here, I’d like to underscore that the problem of finding and stopping cyber terrorists is not a problem for the United States alone, but it affects the entire world, especially the developing world, which is now relying more and more on high technology to overcome the legacy of past failed government policies.

Yes, the threat from cyber terrorism in all of its forms has become a serious concern for all of us. I can assure you that the United States Government takes it very seriously. Like many other governments, we are working with our business community to find ways to disrupt the activities of cyber terrorists and criminals infringing upon the freedoms that are essential to a democratic world. Curbing free speech in order to fight cyber terrorism would play into the hands of the terrorists.

All over the world, the best minds in law enforcement, academia, and the legal community, including those of you gathered here today are working on these difficult issues. While it will be some time before we can reliably prevent major cyber terrorist attacks, we are making tremendous progress in understanding the legal and technological intricacies of securing our most important technological systems without compromising our democratic values. In fact, the best way for the free world to fight back against cyber-terrorism may well be to enlist the Internet in the cause of freedom, to use it to supply critically important information to societies with totalitarian regimes that prevent the free flow of ideas and information via traditional media. To truly win this global war, governments committed to democracy, human rights, and peaceful resolution of international disputes can and must use the Internet to bring messages of hope to citizens of those states that fear and suppress the freedom that the Internet represents. Thank you very much.