Hacking: Blame Game by Erick San Juan

Hacking: Blame Game by Erick San Juan


Several Philippine government agency websites were hacked which they believed to be from China. Television news reports said that the hackers defaced the government websites and left a message in Chinese characters. Some of the offices attacked were the Official Gazette, the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office, the Presidential Museum and Library. The University of the Philippines website was also defaced last April 20,2012 reportedly by Chinese hackers who said that the Scarborough Shoal belongs to them.(Sun Star May5,2012) Last week, the government's Philippine News Agency website was hacked late Wednesday afternoon. But it was immediately restored to it's normal operation.(ABC5 Interaksyon May 9,2012) Even the broad sheet, Philippine Star's website was hacked. The hackers left a message on the defaced site in Chinese characters.

It's unusual that all the said sites were hacked and defaced but no files were allegedly deleted from the sites. The plot thickens when Filipino hackers retaliated on China after the series of cyber attacks on Philippine sites. They vandalized the China University Media Union website with these words- "Chinese government is clearly retarded. Scarborough Shoal is ours."

Who will police the police? Who really controls and regulate the net? Presently, the United States of America at any time can block with impunity both the work of internet operation and it's various national segments, thereby ensuring the conditions for a solution of their political and military objectives in cyberspace. This is primarily due to the fact that the global computer network control system reportedly through the internet's 'Corporation for the Assigned Names and Numbers' remains under the complete control of Washington DC. Several nation-states like China and Russia proposed initiatives aimed at the development of multilateral, transparent and democratic internet control from the U.S. to the United Nations.

The U.S. government has the ability to use information technologies to address its priority foreign policy objectives and influence anywhere in the world. The US State Department and the US Agency for International Development(USAID) have allegedly spent $70 million for the cyberspace control.

The Pentagon considers the cyberspace as a complete environment for military operations. The concept of 'cooperative access' approved by the Committee of Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Department of Defense in December 2011 ensure the success of Pentagon's tactical and strategic operations anywhere in the world through it's military psy ops and diplomatic operations. The U.S. dominance in the information environment made it possible for them to virtually control the internet system completely.

Pundits believe that it's possible that the internet will be used at the proper time to destabilize the global society and nation-states through the information war.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO) and the Eurasian Economic Community(Eurasec) created a legal framework for the management of national information space including the internet. The rules are based on principles of international law that will respect state sovereignty, non-interference in the internal affairs of other states and threat of force.

With the recent bullying by China, many political wags have been saying that "Might is Right". China will not abide by the rules and now blaming PNoy for his belligerency. Both concerned governments should talk, talk, talk to avoid conflict. Be ever vigilant with psy-ops and blame game that could lead to a shooting war.