The infrastructure and standardisation basket
similar to local area networks (LANs), which provides a high level of direct control of users. In a paper on this issue, the American Civil Liberties Union provides the following example of the risks of cable Internet monopolies: ‘This is like the phone company being allowed to own restaurants and then provide good service and clear signals to customers who call Domino’s and frequent busy signals, disconnects and static for those calling Pizza Hut.’73 This convergence problem will be solved when a decision is made on whether the cable Internet is an ‘information service’ or a ‘telecommunication service’. If it is the latter, it will have to be regulated through common carrier rules.
Cybersecurity The current situation The Internet was originally designed for use by a closed circle of mainly academics without security concerns. They communicated openly and addressed possible security problems informally. Cybersecurity came into sharper focus with the rapid expansion of the Internet user base. The Internet reiterated the old truism that technology can be both enabling and threatening. What can be used to the advantage of society can also be used to its disadvantage. One side-effect of the rapid integration of the Internet in almost all aspects of human activity is the increased vulnerability of modern society. The Internet is part of the global critical infrastructure. Other core services of modern society, such as electric grids, transport systems, and health services are increasingly dependent on the Internet. As attacks on these systems may cause severe disruption and have high financial consequences, they are frequent targets. Cybersecurity issues can be classified according to three criteria: P
P
Type of action. Classification based on type of action may include data interception, data interference, illegal access, spyware, data corruption, sabotage, denial-of-service, and identity theft. Type of perpetrator. Possible perpetrators might include hackers, cybercriminals, cyberwarriors, and cyberterrorists.
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