I'm pretty late to the party here but there are some fascinating parallels between the USG's actions in the physical world, as in the digital one.
First to USG has made a concerted and successful attempts to place secret digital strongholds and black sites across the globe, including some 'behind the enemy lines' so to speak. In the physical world these are the equivalent to CIA black sites and safe houses, from which you can attack and spy on the enemy, feed in extra weaponry to partisans and rebels (similar to the CIA Benghazi compound, sorry 'consulate', sorry 'embassy'.
The NSA has all these smart dangerous and arguably immoral minds employed to defend the digital borders of the US. But in truth these minds are busier establishing secret pathways through the digital trenchlines in order to have a definive and effective advantage when the cyberwar comes (which of course they are actively encouraging to validate their position, historical actions and future funding).
At the same time they are making a concerted effort to make sure that the security protocols everyone uses are undermined and backdoored. In effect they are making sure that the digital nuclear weapons held by their enemies aren't going to get in the air when the time comes.
Through strong encryption we could make sure that we have the digital equivalent of mutually assured security, but as ever the US isn't interested in this, because the reality is that the military industrial compound aims to make billions of dollars from the industry.
In a world where all communications and hardware devices were secure, they wouldn't make any money. A secure, stable and safe world just isn't profitable.
First to USG has made a concerted and successful attempts to place secret digital strongholds and black sites across the globe, including some 'behind the enemy lines' so to speak. In the physical world these are the equivalent to CIA black sites and safe houses, from which you can attack and spy on the enemy, feed in extra weaponry to partisans and rebels (similar to the CIA Benghazi compound, sorry 'consulate', sorry 'embassy'.
The NSA has all these smart dangerous and arguably immoral minds employed to defend the digital borders of the US. But in truth these minds are busier establishing secret pathways through the digital trenchlines in order to have a definive and effective advantage when the cyberwar comes (which of course they are actively encouraging to validate their position, historical actions and future funding).
At the same time they are making a concerted effort to make sure that the security protocols everyone uses are undermined and backdoored. In effect they are making sure that the digital nuclear weapons held by their enemies aren't going to get in the air when the time comes.
Through strong encryption we could make sure that we have the digital equivalent of mutually assured security, but as ever the US isn't interested in this, because the reality is that the military industrial compound aims to make billions of dollars from the industry.
In a world where all communications and hardware devices were secure, they wouldn't make any money. A secure, stable and safe world just isn't profitable.