Cybersecurity has been an evergreen subject recently. According to Daniele Irandoost, cyberspace has had many benefits in almost every important country’s sector (Irandoost, 2018). The initial intention for developing cyberspace was to open avenues for people to communicate unlimitedly and promote efficiency in operations. Equally, cyberspace has been a safe harbor for criminals to plan and execute operations that can be catastrophic to humanity. A report by the US intelligence indicates technology as the immediate threat to national security. Such a report raises the question of whether the threat of cyberspace outweighs its benefits (Irandoost, 2018). However, if the security of cyberspace is critically evaluated and all the risks eliminated, cyberspace can be an asset that will continue to transform the world (Irandoost, 2018). Consequently, cybersecurity is vital for national security and could cause a disaster unprecedented in the world if it is at risk.
One of the controversial points concerning ethics in this article is a breach of personal data. It is unethical to use someone else’s information without their consent. Most of the crimes committed on the internet involve gaining access to someone’s information and using it for manipulation, intimidation, and blackmailing for financial or political gain. This unethical behavior amounts to fraud and has often been employed on innocent people. Cyberspace has also been the center of spreading false information, causing it to influence public opinion towards an individual or a particular policy, causing great suffering to the victims.
I side with the idea that cyberspace poses a significant threat to national security. My stance is based on the various instances where the internet has been used to cause significant damage to a particular sector. There have been increased hacking cases and bypassing security measures where criminals have gained access to sensitive information. This instance indicates how cyberspace has brought our enemies close than we never imagined. Consequently, a major disaster will strike that will affect the entire nation if cybersecurity is not treated with the sensitivity it deserves.
Reference
Irandoost, D. (2018). Cybersecurity: A National Security Issue?. E-International Relations. Web.