Cyber-Security at a Frantic Time

On the pretext of alerting the public to danger or for the less admirable reason of a fascination with new and glittery things, the press has a tendency to overstate the importance of some cyber-attacks whose impact is rarely existential. [...] There is a short set of operating principles that, if adopted by Parliament and the government, would not only enhance public understanding of the genuine nature of the risk, but also increase the anticipatory, intelligence and preventive capacity of our private and public sectors in the cyber-combat world: 1. Perspective: Beyond the actual damage cyber-attacks can do to critical military, civilia [...] From the sexual revolution of the 1960s, to the increased use of alcohol after Prohibition, to the broad take-up of tobacco decades ago, societies have had to cope with the negatives that emerged with greater freedoms and uses. [...] However, the net purpose is really the destruction of public confidence, trust and belief in the legitimacy and value of the very core data sets that underpin our democratic society and way of life. [...] It could significantly enrich Canada’s proactive, Cyber-Security at A Frantic Time: A Rational Plan Page 4 by Hugh Segal July, 2017 Cyber-Security at a Frantic Time: A Rational Plan analytical and balancing capacity to defend our national and commercial cyber-security and protect the core democratic values of privacy, rule of law and presumption of innocence basic to the Canadian way of life.