We’re about to open a United States-sized can of worms here people…
In this day and age, the internet permeates every facet of our lives. From gaming to work and all points in between, it’s virtually impossible to function without being “plugged in” to the grid in some form or fashion. As a result, we’ve opened ourselves up to a new threat which comes in the form of cyber terror. It’s a different kind of danger we gamers are all too familiar with, having experienced its affects at the hands of individuals like Lizard Squad and others.
However, it would seem that just knocking out video game servers wasn’t enough to get the attention of those in high places. It took the feathers of several celebrities and executives to be ruffled at places like Sony before the U.S. government finally decided to sit up and take notice. In a recently released statement by President Obama, we learn upcoming legislations will look to criminalize these kinds of online attacks both domestically and overseas. Here is an excerpt from the official statement released by the Press Secretary’s office : “In this interconnected, digital world, there are going to be opportunities for hackers to engage in cyber assaults both in the private sector and the public sector. Now, our first order of business is making sure that we do everything to harden sites and prevent those kinds of attacks from taking place…But even as we get better, the hackers are going to get better, too. Some of them are going to be state actors; some of them are going to be non-state actors. All of them are going to be sophisticated and many of them can do some damage.
This is part of the reason why it’s going to be so important for Congress to work with us and get an actual bill passed that allows for the kind of information-sharing we need. Because if we don’t put in place the kind of architecture that can prevent these attacks from taking place, this is not just going to be affecting movies, this is going to be affecting our entire economy in ways that are extraordinarily significant.” Says our Commander and Chief.
While this might sound like we’re finally gonna’ put the hurtin’ on those douche bags who seek to do nothing more than turn our lives upside down, I must adamantly voice my protest. We’ve been down this road in the past regarding government oversight stretching its sticky fingers down into our industry. The result is called the E.S.R.B.
If you’re not old enough to remember this period during the ‘90s, allow me to give you a brief history lesson. The violence found in games like Mortal Kombat , DOOM and others was the lighting rod which allowed former Vice Presidential Candidate (and then Senator) Joe Lieberman to threaten our entire community with fines and regulations if we didn’t comply with standards that he and others like him laid out. Once again a similar door opens before us with delegates making us an “…offer we can’t refuse.” While I know these revamped laws may seem like a positive step in the right direction, mark my words: allowing government oversight to take root in gaming is a move we will soon come to regret. What’ll start out as a necessary evil for the purposes of protection will quickly evolve into an albatross around our collective necks. Once the Government has dug its claws in, where do their demands stop, and what power would we have to oppose them? Am I really to believe they will only go THIS far and no more without overreaching? Naturally they’re unlikely to remain quiet the next time a rash of school shootings or teen suicides rear their ugly heads once again. What happens when these regulations are turned against us from the inside out, instead of being pointed at the real evil doers?
The answer is not found in Washington. We can police our own backyard by hiring the best and brightest in the field of computer technology from places like MIT and other well respected intuitions. Why not assemble our own super team of Avenger-like hackers to push back? This seemingly makes a lot more sense from a security stand point than allowing politicians to muddy the water.
The solution is to fight fire with fire…not fire with bureaucrats. I’d equate that to jumping from the frying pan into the fire.