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The Question of Internet Privacy and Security. Student Committee: Security Council Issue: The Question of Internet Privacy and Security. Student Officer: Youssif Osama Salama - Chair I- Introduction Whether one considers Edward Snowden a hero or traitor he is nonetheless responsible for leaking some of the most confidential information in the history of the USA. These leaks are groundbreaking evidence showing that the US is not only spying on its enemies but also on its allies and its own citizens. This massive leakage of confidential information has tainted the US’s relation with the world’s global powers. But were this actions by the US government well justified? Well, it’s up to you as a delegate to decide. The US is not the only nation that is guilty of such acts nations such as China, Russia, and Iran are widely considered to have committed similar, if not worse actions. II- Involved Countries and Organizations [United States of America] The mass surveillance disclosures of 2013 have proven that the US government has not only been monitoring internet usage regularly in countries such as Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, and China, but has also been monitoring internet usage by its very own citizens, its allies, and the United Nations. The NSA, National Security Agency, is the US intelligence organization that is responsible for these mass infringements upon citizen’s privacy and freedom of speech. The NSA gathered its information through the use of the following main surveillance programs: PRISM: Through this program the NSA was able to cooperate with internet companies such as, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook, to collect and gain boundless access to information about all users from these companies servers. Drop Mire: This program specifically targeted the collection of data about diplomats and embassies, even those of the Five Eyes Alliance. The Map below shows which nations were most affected by NSA data collection and surveillance programs, with green being the lowest level and red being the highest. 1 [Peoples Republic of China] The internet is heavily censored by the Chinese government, leaving Chinese internet users with little to no privacy in their usage of the internet. This major censorship and internet monitoring program was launched in 1998, only 4 years after the advent of the internet in china. The program was nicknamed “The Great Firewall of China,” in reference to how China was isolated culturally and politically due to the presence of the Great Wall of China and drawing parallels to that and how isolated China currently is from the rest of the global internet network. In 1998, the Chinese government launched a huge project to be able to easily censor and monitor the internet. According to Section Five of the Computer Information Network and Internet Security, Protection, and Management Regulations approved by the Chinese State Council on 11 December 1997: No unit or individual may use the Internet to create, replicate, retrieve, or transmit the following kinds of information:- 1. Inciting to resist or breaking the Constitution or laws or the implementation of administrative regulations; 2. Inciting to overthrow the government or the socialist system; 3. Inciting division of the country, harming national unification; 4. Inciting hatred or discrimination among nationalities or harming the unity of the nationalities; 5. Making falsehoods or distorting the truth, spreading rumors, destroying the order of society; 6. Promoting feudal superstitions, sexually suggestive material, gambling, violence, murder; 7. Terrorism or inciting others to criminal activity; openly insulting other people or distorting the truth to slander people; 8. Injuring the reputation of state organizations; 9. Other activities against the Constitution, laws or administrative regulations. [European Union] Recent leaks by Edward Snowden have revealed that the NSA has not only been spying on countries such as Iran and China, but it has also been caught spying on many of its European Allies. The fact that the NSA has tapped into German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone has sent shockwaves throughout Europe. Merkel has even gone to the extent of claiming that this intrusive act may lead to the “straining of transatlantic ties.” Merkel’s phone has been bugged since 2002, several years before Merkel was the Chancellor of Germany. The leaks have also revealed that the NSA has tapped into 70.3 million phone calls in France between 10 December, 2012 and 8 January, 2013. "President [Obama] made clear that the United States has begun to review the way that we gather intelligence, so that we properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share." – Statement by the White House, After French President Hollande’s phone call with President Obama. “This type of practice between partners that intrudes on the private sphere is totally unacceptable…We have to see to it very quickly that this practice ceases.” - Laurent Fabius, French Foreign Minister Despite the above allegations, many European nations are far from innocent. NSA leaks have disclosed that several nations such as, Germany, France, Spain, and Sweden have worked closely with the British GCHQ in programs similar to those conducted by the NSA, including mass surveillance of the internet and telephone lines. The US Spy 2 Chief, James Clapper, has claimed that “some of the information referenced in documents leaked by Snowden was provided to the NSA by foreign partners.” III- Focused Overview of the Issue Delegates must focus on finding a key balance between privacy and security of one’s nation, if there is any. An increased amount of security will limit citizens freedom of speech and privacy, while a decrease in invasive security measures will lead to more freedom but it may allow for criminals to thrive. One must also take into consideration that the citizens of ones nation will strongly oppose any compromise their freedom of speech on the internet. Several treaties like SOPA, PIPA, and ACTA have failed miserably due to citizens putting pressure on their governments in order to oppose the implementation of any law that will infringe upon their rights and self-determination. IV- Key Vocabulary Privacy: The state of being free from intrusion or disturbance in one's private life or affairs Security: Precautions taken to guard against crime, attack, sabotage, espionage, etc.: Freedom from danger, risk, etc.; safety. Surveillance: Close observation or supervision maintained over a person, group, etc, especially one in custody or under suspicion Five Eyes Alliance: Is an alliance between the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia in order to share secret intelligence information, and to prohibit the act of spying upon each other. Despite this agreement, it has been revealed that the US has been monitoring the internet usage of some of these nations. ITU: ITU (International Telecommunication Union) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies. Boundless Informant: “The NSA's internal analytics tool, which allows them to monitor activity on a country by country basis and program by program basis,” thus allowing for easy representation of the data collected graphically. http://goo.gl/blAENm V- Important Events & Chronology Please write a timeline concerning the conflict. Make sure that it is detailed and includes all of the essential dates. 3 Date (Day/Month/Year) Event 23 January 1996 First Internet Regulation Law Passed By Chinese State Council October 2006 Iranian Government Limits Internet Speeds To Only 128 Kb/S 6 June 2013 Documents Leaked By Snowden VI- Past Resolutions and Treaties - HRC 20th Session- Agenda Item 3: http://www.regeringen.se/content/1/c6/19/64/51/6999c512.pdf - WIPO Copyright Treaty VII- Failed Solution Attempts The World Conference on International Telecommunications 2012: This conference was aimed at addressing the question of regulating the internet. It was heavily opposed by nations such as the USA, India, and the European Union. SOPA PIPA and ACTA: All three treaties were aimed at an increase in the amount of regulation of the internet. All three treaties were heavily opposed by the citizens of several nations and have also been opposed by several internet corporations such as, Google, Yahoo, and Facebook. VIII- Possible Solutions - Regulation of the Internet. - Advocating an increase in internet user privacy. IX- Useful Links http://www.theguardian.com/world/the-nsa-files http://articles.washingtonpost.com/keyword/national-intelligence http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20121214/14133321389/who-signed-itu-wcit-treaty-who-didnt.shtml http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/dec/14/telecoms-treaty-internet-unregulated http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2012/12/13/the-dark-side-of-tomorrows-internet-treaty/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-lane-nsas-spying-humiliates-germany- again/2013/11/04/f13eba14-456d-11e3-b6f8-3782ff6cb769_story.html Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3IbBzujtDc 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaRvzQ887HM X- Works Cited http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/30/nsa-leaks-us-bugging-european-allies http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/u-k-reaction-to-nsa-leaks-may-have-chilling-effect-european-rights-group- 1.1422027 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/10/nsa-spying-scandal-what-we-have-learned https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_the_People's_Republic_of_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_privacy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet
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