Internet Governance in an Age of Cyber Insecurity (Council Special Report, September 2010)

U.S. interests lie in the continuation of a single, open, globally interconnected network for the free exchange of ideas and the conduct of economic activity. Criminals and rogue nations are threatening that paradigm, exploiting fundamental weaknesses in the architecture of the Internet. Cybersecurity and homeland security expert Robert K. Knake urges the United States to promote its vision for a secure Internet through existing international forums. His report provides a clear statement of U.S. national interest in cyberspace and develops an agenda for promoting it within Internet governance organizations.Knake maintains that the U.S. Department of State must be staffed and funded to coordinate the promotion of this agenda across the federal government with important private sector players. He further recommends the development of a treaty to ban the targeting of civilian infrastructure in cyberspace and the application of diplomatic and economic pressure to expand the number of countries that are party to the existing Convention on Cybercrime. By taking these steps, the United States can help develop both the technical and legal mechanisms to address security concerns in cyberspace while maintaining the vision of a unified, global Internet.