No Order Without Law Online
Concurring Opinions:
Truly disturbing article from the NYT on D.D.O.S. attacks. Basic conclusion: attacks are growing in frequency and scope, and commercial operators’ main defense (excess capacity) will soon become obsolete. The worst part (I think):Despite a drastic increase in the number of attacks, the percentage referred to law enforcement authorities declined. The report said 58 percent of the Internet service providers had referred no instances to law enforcement in the last 12 months. When asked why there were so few referrals, 29 percent said law enforcement had limited capabilities, 26 percent said they expected their customers to report illegal activities and 17 percent said there was “little or no utility” in reporting attacks.Even our libertarian friends will admit, I hope, that protecting the internet from zombie computers is a pretty good use of the coercive power of the state. So I hope that this makes the list of things that the Obama administration starts paying attention to over the next four years.