The gloomy truth about growing threats of the Internet.

Cyber security and Internet in general are obviously a hot topic nowadays: the role of use of internet mass communication platforms during recent mass violent demonstrations in Moldova after elections has become a special case study at Stanford. In two months Iran followed the steps of Moldova. During this week the news about a widespread and unusually resilient computer attack against most prominent and strategically important US Federal bodies topped the news reports. South Korean state sites were also under serious attacks.

The latest events in Iran and Moldova showed that the states, which a decade ago were easily censoring mass-media, are almost unable to stop the free Internet. These events also showed the extreme power of influence of Internet over masses, which have connections now in all remote corners practically from any mobile phone. Adding to the above the unprecedented attack onto US Governmental institutions, we speak no more only about cyber security, as the line between Internet and the state is fading away - Internet now is much more than a simple domain for messages, for sharing information or games. Internet now is a new world in itself. Also do not forget that money now is also more and more a bunch of electrons and computer programs! Another really burning issue is wrong influence of free internet on children, who get an early access to the world’s dirty sites with no moral principles and little educational values. Thus, the other bad side of internet is not only access to your bank accounts, your social security and medical records but also to your kids’ hearts and minds.

That is why this newly emerging virtual world undoubtedly must have a new order and should be secured. Otherwise, we could be facing a chaos with consequences not less dangerous than climate change or global terror wars.

One can’t control Internet, but one could manage it.

In the end, cyber space is traffic. That is why my idea is simple: traffic can be regulated.

As far as I understand internet, it goes now freely using the less loaded “highways” and servers. Thus, my email to a friend in US can go through Europe or through Asia. Hackers can even pretend to operate from distant places, which makes them untraceable and dangerous. In the end special agencies, which are combatting internet threats, are operating not proactively, but as fishermen falling asleep waiting to catch something meaningful in the enormous ocean of the world wide web.

ICANN, the international non for profit organization, which was created more than 10 years ago with one of the scope of ensuring security of the world wide web, seems neither highly motivated nor really able to implement tougher rules and enforce them. Probably no one could have ever imagined in the mid 90-ies what Internet would become by now. And given the pace of communication and technology revolution it is hard to imagine what cyber space would bring in another decade. Could be fascinating, but also potentially might be quite devastating if not properly controlled.

Probably that is why President Obama has declared this issue to be a priority of the state, which seems the right way to follow.

The solution could consist of three main things: - create regional/country corridors/hubs, through which communication is forced to move in a mandatory and orderly manner; - create special navigational software for all communication, which would regulate this movement; - create and implement a new international legal framework, which would not in any case limit Internet’s further free development both technically and content-wise.

You still naively concerned about privacy? Wake up! There is no more privacy in the cyber space! What is the value of this privacy, if it cannot be guaranteed? The more freedom internet will enjoy, the more anarchic it will become and the more temptations it will have for the bad guys to abuse us. However, applying a new traffic system for the WWW will give privacy and security a second chance.