Beware the Patriotic Geek: The Risk of Cyber Militias in Asia

by Adam Segal

February 22, 2012

Participants at a China Collegiate Programming Contest in 2010. (Courtesy HKU)

When people warn of growing cyber insecurity they are often referring to the threat of an arms race, countries trying to outdo each other in the development of offensive weapons and defensive technologies. This is certainly a real risk, but the greater threat to Asian regional stability may not be from technology, but the spread of an organizational framework.

Keio professor Motohiro Tsuchiya has written a commentary (h/t David Wolf) suggesting that Japan needs to establish a cyber militia in order to defend itself from attacks.Offense will always have the upper hand over defense, Tsuchiya argues, so the government will always struggle to keep up. The majority of expertise is in the private sector, and government salaries will never be competitive enough to attract and retain the talent needed. What can Japan do but appeal to patriotism? “Success hinges on whether the government can secure patriotic geeks.”

more ...http://blogs.cfr.org/asia/2012/02/22/beware-the-patriotic-geek-the-risk-of-cyber-militias-in-asia/