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Auckland's SPCA enters the War Against Terror?

It's no surprise that terrorists regularly use the internet to communicate with each other.

It's also no surprise that many Western governments are taking pre-emptive steps to protect themselves from the effects of potential cyberterrorism. Groups of political, religious or other disaffected people may well turn to the Net as a powerful tool with which to disrupt the lives of those who they see as their enemies.

The USA is so sure that they need to protect their digital flanks that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has just announced that it will be hiring around 1,000 "cybersecurity experts" to improve their online defensive capabilities.

But those in the DHS aren't the only ones using the Net to fight terrorism.

This morning I got my regular email from Jane's Defense News and it came with a big fat ad for an online "Certificate in Terrorism Studies".

Yes, for a (not so) small price, you can purchase access to online courses "which allow participants to study the facets of terrorism most relevant to their own interests"

I must admit that my first thoughts were "Hmmm.. just what a Maori TV CEO might need to pad out their CV" -- but maybe not.

A quick squiz at the list of "Organisations that have already benefited from the Certificate in Terrorism Studies" I spied no less than the New Zealand Customs Service and the Auckland SPCA (I kid you not!)

Excuse my cynicism but I can't help get the feeling that courses like this might just be a money-grab by those who see the chance to leverage the fact that even online diplomas and certificates backed by a "real" university carry some weight in today's modern world.

Maybe the SPCA picked up some really valuable information as a result of their investment in this course -- but I have to admit that, for the life of me, I can't think what that might be.

Are they trying to get a handle on the animal-welfare effect that strapping 5Kg of C4 to a suicide-chihuahua might have?

Will there be guidelines issued?

New laws perhaps?

"Any owner found to have attached a bomb weighing more than 15% of the animal's body weight shall be deemed to have committed an act of cruelty and be subject to a fine not exceeding $5,000 and/or a prison sentence not exceeding 2 years"

I also read today that terrorists are "out-tweeting their enemies" in the propaganda and logistical War Against Terror (WAT).

Given the huge impact this WAT has already had on personal freedoms, I must admit that I remain concerned that the golden-age of online freedom is under increasing threat from bureaucrats, legislators and those who seek even more intrusion into our lives, allegedly in the name of public safety.

Let's face it, once "the powers that be" figure out they can kill many birds with one stone by merging the demands of copyright holders, kiddy-porn policing, and national security advocates, the whole concept of unfettered file-exchanges and unmonitored communications will come under significant threat.

Already, we've lost the right to encrypt our files without being prepared to surrender the encryption keys to authorities "on demand". What's next?

Anyone who dares to send an encrypted email or file through the Net may automatically be flagged as "a person of interest" and subsequently be subjected to far greater scrutiny/surveillance.

Is this a good thing?

Should we be closely scrutinising just why anyone might feel the need to encrypt their communications or data? Might such extra diligence on the part of police or security agencies help save lives?

Or is it time we backed off and realised that we've already lost far too many "rights" in the name of a war that isn't even one of our making?

Will the next victim of terrorist activities be Net freedom?

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