Cyberspace and Cybersecurity: Policy

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Learning Objectives

Students will analyze the concepts of cyber sovereignty, online privacy, data storage, and use of cyberweapons.
Students will discuss and debate whether the internet should respect national borders or the concept of a “free and open” internet (I.E: Should countries be allowed to regulate?).

Length

One 45-minute period

Grade Level

High School

Materials

Should the Internet Respect National Borders?

How Companies and Governments Do (and Don’t) Protect Your Data

The Growing Threat of Cyberattacks

Xi Jinping - Opening Ceremony of the 2nd World Internet Conference

U.S. State Dept. Pillars of the International Strategy for Cyberspace

Guided Reading Handout

Presentation

Homework

Have students complete the guided reading handout.

Class

(10 Minutes) Warm Up:
- Write on Board: Definition of “Sovereignty”
- Ask: (Class) Is sovereignty an important foreign relation concept to protect? Why or why not?
- Think-Pair-Share: Have students think then discuss with a neighbor if they think that “sovereignty” should apply to the internet. Why or why not? Should the internet be open and accessible? Should countries have the right to regulate the internet according to their own laws, values, customs, and norms?
(25 Minutes) Activity: Online Rights and Governance
- Watch: Should the Internet Respect National Borders? (Video 2:59)
- Note: If viewed for HW (I.E: Guided Reading Handout) you can ask for a student summary.
- Worksheet/ Jigsaw: Students can be assigned to complete the “Rights and Governance Online” worksheet (at the end of this document).
- Read: Xi Jinping - Opening Ceremony of the 2nd World Internet Conference (2,280 words/ 7 ½ pages)
  - Xi offers FOUR principles and FIVE proposals which could be used to jigsaw this reading.
- Read: U.S. State Dept. Pillars of the International Strategy for Cyberspace (425 words/ 1½ pages)
  - Very short. Broken into SIX pillars.
(10 Minutes) Wrap Up/ Discuss:
1. As a class, briefly discuss why the U.S. and China seem to have such different views on the internet. What are the strongest arguments each side brings to the table? What are the concerns each side shows?
2. If time, to help set up homework, discuss briefly what a cyberweapon is and what characteristics differentiate it from other weapons. Introduce the idea that different parties will have different opinions on cyberattacks, depending on who they are.
3. Tell students that for homework they will consider the pros and cons of cyberweapons and offer some suggested principles for the development and use of cyberweapons.

Homework

OPTIONAL - Have students complete the handout (attached), enumerating the pros and cons of developing and using cyberweapons from the listed points of view.
Ask students to consider pros and cons of cyberweapons and come up with a suggested principle or principles for the development and use of cyberweapons that might form the basis of an international agreement.
Considering all the points of view on cyberweapons, what principles would you propose for an international agreement on cyberweapons? Write up to five, and for each, write a sentence or two explaining why you think the principle is valuable and how it addresses the concerns of one or more interested parties.
- Students may be directed to The Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons to help inform their principles for an international agreement on cyberweapons. In this case, the Non-Proliferation Treaty could serve as an example for how the international community creates agreements around global issues. This reading highlights the goals of the NPT -which could inform a similar agreement on cyberweapons.

Vocabulary

cloud: network of data centers, servers, and other physical infrastructure that store data online rather than on a physical hard drive attached to the user’s computer.
cyberattacks: intentional and malicious encroachment by an outside actor on computer networks, websites, or other cyber infrastructure.
cyberspace: online virtual universe. Definitions vary, but the term cyberspace generally includes a range of services including online games, instant messaging, and the physical devices used to store information.
international data centers: facilities that house data or online programs, established by companies that provide software over the internet (such as Microsoft).
pandemic: disease outbreak that has reached at least several countries, affecting a large group of people.
service: a nonphysical good transferred from the seller to the buyer (e.g., haircut, doctor’s appointment).
splinternet: the potential fragmentation of the internet into effectively separate networks based on a user’s location and access, as opposed to a cohesive, universally available network. Censorship of websites by certain governments has been described as a potential first step toward splinternet, but even debates about net neutrality (the principle that an internet service providers should not determine, for example, whether users have access to certain content based on how much the users can pay) within a single country play a part.
Stuxnet: a U.S.-Israeli computer virus, discovered in 2010, that targeted Iran’s nuclear weapons program. It was the first cyberattack to cause physical damage, and ended up infecting systems in more than 100 countries.