Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - Information and communications technology

Cyber Security

Ryan Ellis — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:21:02 -0500

Dr. Ellis raises an interesting question: Does the pursuit of offensive cyber capabilities undermine domestic security? The conversation highlights a growing area of concern and ongoing debate.

Privacy Consciousness in the Big Data Era

Vivek Mohan — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:08:48 -0500

"...[S]ocietal inertia cannot be held up ipso facto to argue for stronger privacy protections when we ourselves are responsible for sharing the data that is now traversing the endless servers of cyberspace. The benefits of the big data revolution are myriad, cut across sectors, and the best is surely yet to come."

Change the Conversation, Change the Venue and Change Our Future

Melissa Hathaway — Tue, 14 May 2013 07:55:28 -0500

"The G20 has an opportunity to articulate a vision for shaping the Internet economy for the next five to 10 years. The power of the leadership of this body, combined with its ability to assemble and speak to a simple, positive narrative for cybersecurity anchored in our collective economic well-being (and GDP growth), could be a watershed event. The GDP erosion that all nations are suffering places cybersecurity within the legitimate processes and 'architecture' of international economic governance. By changing the conversation to being about the economy and growth, this approach would enable the G20 to de-escalate the militarization and balkanization of the Internet."

Confronting Complex Cybersecurity Challenges

James F. Smith — Tue, 14 May 2013 07:19:07 -0500

For the past four years, faculty and fellows from Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have partnered in a project called “Explorations in Cyber International Relations.” The ECIR project’s brief is “to explore alternative cyber developments, assess challenges and threats, and identify possibilities and opportunities in cyberspace for security and well-being.”

International Council Members Debate Critical Issues

Tue, 14 May 2013 07:16:43 -0500

The Belfer Center launched its annual International Council meeting on April 9 with animated discussions of, among others, U.S. energy politics, the links between economic policy and national security, cybersecurity, and the rise of China. Participants included members of the Center's International Council and Board of Directors as well as faculty and senior fellows.

Why the Government Matters: A Primer for Data-Minded Entrepreneurs

Vivek Mohan — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:42:53 -0500

"...[A]mong the informed public, fear of misuse of personal information is not limited to a wary eye towards cyber criminals — increasingly, concern has been voiced at the increasing power of the government in electronic surveillance."

Rebooting African Economies: Science and Engineering for Rapid Economic Transformation

Calestous Juma — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:41:11 -0500

A lecture by Calestous Juma from 3:00–5:30 PM, April 18, 2013, at the Golf Course Hotel in Kampala, Uganda. Organized by the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA). Africa's identity has historically been associated with its vast natural resources which have shaped not only its political culture but also defined its place in the global family of nations. In recent years, however, a new picture of Africa has started to emerge. African economies are increasingly being view as rapid adopters of emerging technologies. The aim of this lecture is to identify approaches for leveraging the world's fund of scientific, technological, and engineering knowledge for rapid economic transformation.

Belfer Center Newsletter Spring 2013

Sharon Wilke — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 07:50:46 -0500

The Spring 2013 issue of the Belfer Center newsletter features recent and upcoming activities, research, and analysis by members of the Center community on critical global issues. This edition highlights the Belfer Center’s deepening engagement with China.

Breaking Down Walls Between Basic and Applied Research

Andrew Facini — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 07:46:15 -0500

Questions about the very nature of scientific discovery are being raised by Belfer Center experts Venkatesh (Venky) Narayanamurti, Tolu Odumosu, and Lee Vinsel...Their new discussion paper, entitled “The Discovery-Invention Cycle: Bridging the Basic/Applied Dichotomy,” describes the longstanding paradigm that separates basic research and discovery from applied research and implementation – for example, separating the study of the DNA of a bacteria from the application of that knowledge to develop new drugs and compounds.

Odumosu: Seeking Improved Understanding and Use of Technology

Wesley Nord — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 07:38:43 -0500

At the heart of STPP fellow Tolu Odumosu’s work is the practical application and social interactions of technological research and innovation. He believes the way humans reflect on the changes in life wrought by our tools has led to passivity when it comes to assessing the impact of technologies on man, as well as the impact of different peoples on the same technologies.

Center Expands Reach Through Social Media and Other Online Platforms

Arielle Dworkin — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 07:32:45 -0500

With today's ever more digital methods of communication, it is essential that the Belfer Center exploit the vast and growing array of online platforms that enable us to cut through the noise and get our messages across. The digital communication tools employed by the Belfer Center now extend far beyond just our website.

Leadership and Responsibility for Cybersecurity

Melissa Hathaway — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 17:00:57 -0500

"Policy makers, legislators, and businessmen should assess the gap between the current defense posture and our needed front line defense in the face of an increasingly sophisticated range of actors. This paper describes a series of case studies that highlight the lack of attention being paid to this serious problem and the subsequent policy and technology solutions that are being brought to bear to close the gap."

The Discovery-Invention Cycle: Bridging the Basic/Applied Dichotomy

Venkatesh "Venky" Narayanamurti, Tolu Odumosu and Lee Vinsel — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:13:59 -0500

In this paper we hope to provide an alternative point of view. By examining both the evolution of the famous "linear model of innovation" — which holds that scientific research precedes technological innovation — and the problematic description of engineering being "applied science" we seek to challenge the existing dichotomies between basic / applied research, science and engineering, tracing how knowledge travels between different knowledge domains through a case study of a selected group of Nobel Prizes in physics.

Preliminary Considerations: On National Cyber Security

Melissa Hathaway and Alexander Klimburg — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:38:57 -0500

In this chapter, Melissa Hathaway and Alexander Klimburg introduce three conceptual tools to help focus the strategic context and debate. These are termed the "three dimensions," the "five mandates," and the "five dilemmas" of national cyber security. Each dimension, mandate and dilemma will play a varying role in each nation's attempt to formulate and execute a national cyber security strategy according to their specific conditions.

National Cyber Security Framework Manual

Alexander Klimburg — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:09:46 -0500

The National Cyber Security Framework Manual provides detailed background information and in-depth theoretical frameworks to help the reader understand the various facets of National Cyber Security, according to different levels of public policy formulation.

Engineering the Future

Calestous Juma — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:39:43 -0500

"With improvements in fiber optic connectivity and open internet platforms, Africa is on the verge of becoming a major beneficiary of the massive open online courses (MOOCs). There is a real possibility for Africa to dramatically improve its teaching—especially in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)—through the deployment of MOOCs."

Technology Trips Over Democracy in Kenya

Calestous Juma — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:38:05 -0600

"As developing countries continue to aspire to higher governance and development standards, they will also need to ensure that they improve their engineering capabilities and the associated management practices. Failure to do so can lead to humbling reversals to analog days for countries that are aspiring to become important players in the digital age."

Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age

Susan P. Crawford — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:51:25 -0600

This important book by leading telecommunications policy expert Susan Crawford explores why Americans are now paying much more but getting much less when it comes to high-speed Internet access. Using the 2011 merger between Comcast and NBC Universal as a lens, Crawford examines how we have created the biggest monopoly since the breakup of Standard Oil a century ago. In the clearest terms, this book explores how telecommunications monopolies have affected the daily lives of consumers and America's global economic standing.

The Information Revolution Gets Political

Joseph S. Nye — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:03:19 -0600

"Beneath the Arab political revolutions lies a deeper and longer process of radical change that is sometimes called the information revolution. We cannot yet fully grasp its implications, but it is fundamentally transforming the nature of power in the twenty-first century, in which all states exist in an environment that even the most powerful authorities cannot control as they did in the past."

A Global Cyber-crisis in Waiting

Richard Clarke — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:59:29 -0600

"Like-minded nations should also agree that governments should not steal data from private corporations and then give that information to competing companies, as the government of China has been doing on a massive scale. The victims of Chinese economic espionage should seek to establish clear guidelines and penalties within the World Trade Organization system or, if China blocks that, victim states should seek to develop countermeasures and sanctions outside of that structure."

RIP: The Basic/Applied Research Dichotomy

Venkatesh "Venky" Narayanamurti, Tolu Odumosu and Lee Vinsel — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:31:53 -0600

"This mini-history reveals how knowledge grows through a richly interwoven system of scientific and technological research in which there is no clear hierarchy of importance and no straightforward linear trajectory. Accepting this reality has profound implications for the design of research institutions, the allocation of resources, and the national policies that guide research. This in turn can open the door to game-changing discoveries and inventions and put the nation on the path to a more sustainable science and technology ecosystem."

Technological Somnambulism Revisited: Sleeping through the New Invisible Surveillance Technologies

Tolu Odumosu — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 17:34:31 -0600

"...[T]his kind of surveillance was seen as unproblematic even in a field as sensitive to informed consent as medicine, is cause for reflection. As the patient, who had to take this device into my home, I was never asked for my consent, neither was I informed of the data recording capabilities of the CPAP machine."

As it Grows, Al Jazeera Risks Losing Touch

Juliette Kayyem — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 23:25:34 -0600

"...[A]s the Arab Spring continues past a single season, Al Jazeera's very success is revealing some of its vulnerabilities. Its power has others wanting in on the action. As the movement towards democratic reform becomes more pervasive, the network's ownership by a conservative monarchy has become its Achilles' heel. The emir of Qatar recently placed a member of the royal family as director-general of news on Al Jazeera, a reminder to its staff of who pays the bills. In a region where conspiracy theories are rampant, the network's ownership makes it a target for reformers who feel it's mainly catering to the existing power structure."

4 Ways to Get Phone Service the Next Time a Hurricane Sandy Calls

Tolu Odumosu and Venkatesh "Venky" Narayanamurti — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:00:32 -0600

In the aftermath of a disaster such as superstorm Sandy, two-way communication is essential. People need to be able to receive news and updates, and to request assistance and provide status updates to loved ones. Yet after hurricane Sandy, large portions of New York, New Jersey, and other areas lost their communication systems — their mobile phone network, cable TV, and Internet. Some sought out the last few pay phones as the only equipment that worked. Here are four ways to better prepare our phones and other devices for the next disaster.

Trading Places: Commerce Drives Science And Technology In Africa

Calestous Juma — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 22:06:40 -0600

"Africa used mobile phones to create a radically new way of transferring money, thereby restructuring the banking sector. Mobile technology is on the verge of transforming other traditional industries including education and health, among others. In education, Africa can leapfrog into digital books and mobile learning to become a leading source of new educational businesses and industries. In healthcare, mobile technology will transform the very idea of a hospital."

Why Cell Phones Went Dead After Hurricane Sandy

Susan P. Crawford — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:43:31 -0600

"...[A]fter a decade of steady deregulation, during which communications companies asserted that new wires required new rules, the companies are in charge of themselves. What's more, those that sell network connections in the U.S. are trying to claim a constitutional right to operate without any federal oversight."

Decrypting the Fifth Amendment: The Limits of Self-Incrimination

Vivek Mohan and John Villasenor — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:51:04 -0500

In "Decrypting the Fifth Amendment: The Limits of Self-Incrimination in the Digital Era," Vivek Mohan and John Villasenor examine the scope of information protected from compelled self-incriminating disclosure by exploring the boundaries of the contents of the mind. They propose a framework for bringing the foregone conclusion doctrine, which was articulated in 1976, into the digital era, and conclude that the question of what constitutes a "testimonial act" must be revisited to proactively ensure that emerging technologies do not eviscerate the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination.

Yelp for Democracy!

Archon Fung — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:32:21 -0500

"There are too many sites and too many problems for lawyers and trained poll watchers to catch all, or even most, of the problems. Furthermore, their efforts will be focused on just a few battleground states. Voting is a right and responsibility for all Americans, not just those who live in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, and a few other states. Wouldn't it be great if millions of Americans joined in the effort to improve our democracy by monitor[ing] polling places this November? There's an app for that."

Cyber Security Today: A United States Perspective

Melissa Hathaway — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:18:23 -0500

Implementing complementary government and private sector cyber protection policies remains a challenge. In a recent International Relations and Security Network/Center for Security Studies–sponsored presentation, Explorations in Cyber International Relations Senior Advisor Melissa Hathaway identified five major reasons why governments and their partners are still having trouble developing effective cyber security strategies.

Africa's Leadership Fails Billionaire Mo Ibrahim's Test, But Technocrats Rise

Calestous Juma — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:01:58 -0500

"The main challenge is the lack of alignment between infrastructure strategies and the need to expand engineering training. As a result, there are very few engineering programs in African universities. There is also a perception that engineering is associated with large projects that tend to be linked to high costs, corruption and ecological degradation."