In a recent White House press release, both Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin ‘affirmed the completion of landmark steps designed to strengthen relations, increase transparency, and build confidence’ between the two nations. Both the countries have decided to build real-time cyber security communications network. According to the statement released by the White House, “We affirm the importance of cooperation between the United States of America and the Russian Federation for the purpose of enhancing bilateral understanding in this area. We view this cooperation as essential to safeguarding the security of our countries, and to achieving security and reliability in the use of ICTs that are essential to innovation and global interoperability. Interestingly, the news comes a day after the revelation that U.S. intelligence agencies spied on Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in 2009 at a G-20 summit. According to the classified information provided by ex-CIA agent and whistleblower Edward Snowden, the NSA believed it might have discovered “a change in the way Russian leadership signals have been normally transmitted.” The communication link, therefore, between the two countries to fight criminal threats and Information and Communications Technologies threats sounds a little hilarious. Both the countries are untrustworthy in terms of cyber security, especially with each other. Maybe the idea behind building a ‘hotline’ between the two nations is to make snooping on each other official since it is happening anyway. The White House press release also stated, “These steps are necessary in order to meet our national and broader international interests. They are important practical measures which can help to further the advancement of norms of peaceful and just interstate conduct with respect to the use of ICTs.” Sure. Intercepting Medvedev‘s communication network must have been a “peaceful” and “just” use of information technology.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:41:12 +0000
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