Technology Breach Calls for Action

A recent technology breach by the Chinese government into U.S. systems has called attention to the issue of Internet freedom. The intrusion was into the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists, Google Inc., financial institutions, defense contractors, and several other technology companies in Silicon Valley.

The U.S. government has been called to action by this cyberattack. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, is demanding answers from the Chinese government. According to NextGov reports, Clinton stated, “We look to the Chinese government for an explanation. The ability to operate with confidence in cyberspace is critical in a modern society and economy.”

Moreover, Senator Joseph Lieberman, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is taking action as well. Yesterday, January 13^th, he drafted legislation that aims to build upon the country’s cybersecurity structure. In the NextGov report, Liberman stated, “Educating Internet users of these threats and vulnerabilities is key to thwarting such attacks.”

Google itself has also taken action; they have made changes to their structure in order to boost security. There is even the potential possibility of Google making the decision to shut down their offices in China and shut down the Google.cn. This will be discussed in the coming weeks.