The Risk, the Real, and the Impossibility of Life

The discourse of the Matrix not only wakes up philosophy from the slumber they are, but reflects the rise of fears which are proper of a culture, that manipulates anxieties to fix policies otherwise would be rejected. Basically, Neo is subject to an ethical dilemma which means that we are free to make the decision to live in a fake without suffering or in “the real of the dessert” as Morpheus put it. At this extent, if technology is used to protect humankind, Matrix evinces under some circumstances, it can oppress human beings when they renounce to their “free-will”. This chapter not only explored the limitations of the society of risks within liberal thought but taking into consideration the role of authenticity serves ideologically to legitimate suffering. Indeed, accepting to live as Neo did, may lead to oppression or liberation.

English Speaking Countries and the Culture of Fear

The direct intervention or full-scare led wars are ideologically legitimized by the needs of bringing the ideals of American democracy, liberty, freedom and mobility. However, at the bottom, this globalized culture of fear hidden dark interests associated to exploitation. Paradoxically, these types of interventions suggest that terrorism needs the use of force, but in so doing, impotence and deprivation surface. Undoubtedly, Anglo and Latin worlds have created, according to their cultural matrices, diverse tactics to adapt to environment, as the form of understanding the future. While Anglo-countries developed a fascinating attraction to risk and future, the sense of predestination alludes to what today has not occurred yet. Technology only helps to mitigate the temporal effects of uncertainty triggered by the orientation to future.

Methods and Tools of Big Data Analysis for Terroristic Behavior Study and Threat Identification

Paper aimed to consider of approaches to big data (social network content) utilization for understanding of social behavior in the conflict zones, and analysis of dynamics of illegal armed groups. Analysis directed to identify of underage militants. The probabilistic and stochastic methods of analysis and classification of number, composition and dynamics of illegal armed groups in active conflict areas are proposed. Data of armed conflict – antiterrorist operation in Donbas (Eastern Ukraine in the period 2014-2015) is used for analysis. The numerical distribution of age, gender composition, origin, social status and nationality of child militants among illegal armed groups has been calculated. Conclusions on the applicability of described method in criminological practice, as well as about the possibilities of interpretation of obtaining results in the context of study of terrorism are proposed.

Trolls Just Want to Have Fun

Over the last two decades, public confidence and trust in Government has declined visibly in several liberal democracies, giving way instead to disillusionment with current political institutions, actors, and practices; rendering obsolete or inappropriate much of traditional democratic politics. Simultaneously, digital technologies have created huge opportunities for public bodies and agencies. In analysing the No. 10 Downing Street ePetitions Initiative based in the United Kingdom, this chapter engages with issues related to the innovative use of digital network technology by Government to involve citizens in policy processes and to buffer national security within existing democratic frameworks. The work examines whether the application of new digital platforms to participatory democracy in the Government 2.0 era leads eventually to radical transformations in government functioning and the body politic, or merely to modest, unspectacular political reform and to the emergence of technology-based obsessive-compulsive pathologies and trolling behaviours amongst individuals in society.

The Roots of Terror

Risk would serve as a fertile ground to move resources, otherwise would be stagnated, so that elite may centralize and solidify “extractive institutions” to enhance the economic performance. The war of all against all, predicated by Hobbes sets the pace to the war of few blocs to yield a supreme authority over the rest. The theory of globalization is reluctant to explain how the world tends to a centralization of resources and violence. Here we come across with a paradox, if the XXth century posed a lot of states making the war to forge their own identity (as it was the case in Europe and US who participated in two total wars), within the state a sentiment of nationhood persisted over other counter-reactions. Citizens not only were twinned to embrace a same history and heritage, but also suspended the internal violence against their brothers.

A Simple Solution to Prevent Parameter Tampering in Web Applications

Business over the internet such as banking and several online services are growing rapidly. Similarly, social media web portals are also getting more and more involved in our daily life. Since these applications are popular and consist of personal and valuable data, they attract malicious attacks to their vulnerable points. The weakness can also be faced in all businesses and institutions that do not care the necessary security steps. The web parameter tampering is one of the major attacks which is based on the modification of parameters. In order to prevent the parameter tampering, a novel and simple mechanism is implemented by verifying the validity. The mechanism is based on a deterministic finite state machine. Beside this static method, the system also has run time validation which leads for the usage of hybrid analysis approach. As an evaluation, performance assessment of the algorithm is done for real time attacks targeting a web site.

OSNs as Cyberterrorist Weapons against the General Public

Conventional terrorism has been around for hundreds of years and even though its tactics and the weapons of choice have evolved over time as well as the use and deployment of weapons may have changed the root definition of terrorism has remained relatively untouched. With the advent of mass computing, cybercrime has increased year on year. This chapter will look at three differing viewpoints of cyberterrorism and its ultimate effects on society. Many industry and academic experts warn that it is only a matter of time before conventional terrorist acts will migrate to the digital arena in the form of cyberterrorism. Current literature suggests that a countries critical national infrastructure will be the main focus of attack for the cyberterrorist but this chapter will address another possible target for the cyberterrorist using a different type of cyber weapon: a mimetic virus. This chapter also looks at how a mimetic virus could use social media to spread throughout the target audience using what is known as Internet memes.

Cyber Security Centres for Threat Detection and Mitigation

With the continuing evolution of cyber threats, it is only a matter of time before an organisation will suffer a major breach or there is an incident of national significance. This necessitates monitoring to detect possible incidents and mechanisms to respond and recover from breaches. This chapter provides an overview of structures to aid in threat detection and incident recovery. Security Operation Centres (SOCs), Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs), and Security Intelligence Centres (SICs) will be covered, and the differences, benefits and limitations will be discussed. Guidance for the implementation of these security capabilities within organisations will be provided.

Twitter Use in Student Protests

In October 2015 a series of protests at South African universities against proposed fee increases escalated into a nation-wide protest with marches globally in support. Twitter proved to be a major communication and information sharing tool during these protests. The protests provided a platform to investigate the use of social media during a political crisis in South Africa. The chapter analyses the role and use of Twitter in the student protests and discusses this phenomenon from a crisis, advocacy and social information warfare perspective.

The Fight for Cyber Thoreau

This analysis sheds light on where cyber disobedience fits in to larger society positively and does not deserve to be summarily thrown in with all types of illegal cyber acts. Making these legal delineations does not solve all of the problems a state will face in the new cyber age. But they will go a long way in helping a democratic state honor its foundation of civil liberties and freedom and avoid becoming a perpetuator of virtual hyperbole and digital panic. In so doing, it guarantees the people greater freedom for themselves while also having greater confidence in the fairness of their own government. This, in place of the chaotic, ambiguous, and uninformed legal and political environment governing cyber action today, would be a dramatic improvement.