Topic: Militarization of the Internet
Country: Thailand
Delegate Name: Grace Cutler
School: Royal Oak High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Thailand position papers GLIMUN 2013 committees
Militarization of the internet has become a worldwide issue. Although the internet has helped to advance international communication, it has it's drawbacks. Militarization of the internet is exactly what it sounds like. Countries can use the internet to launch attacks, they can hack into databases, and they can easily command their military via the web. The history of internet militarization is brief, but there is still so much more to come.
Taiwan so far has had not part in militarization of the internet, but that may change soon. As the neighbors of a well known communist and violent country (China), we feel some what in danger. In May of 2013, China called to take control of the internet and build an 'online army.' Some officials from China even promote use of the internet for public deliberation and political negotiation. (as found on globalvoicesonline.org) This obvious threat worries Taiwan and we believe certain measures need to be taken to prevent future attacks. Taiwan fully supports safe use of the internet and believes that countries should be using the internet responsibly.
The UN must cooperate with each other to stop further internet scandals and to ensure world safety. Individual nations must take the first step though, and improve their internet security to make attack difficult if not impossible. This is not just for international benefit, but for our countries benefit as well. As a second step, the international community must come together to discuss the do's and don'ts of the internet. A set of rules must be made, and a punishment should be put in place to anyone who obstructs the law. This should extend worldwide, not just to UN countries. Taiwan believes that these, and several other steps can be taken to prevent cyber warfare and secure international online security.
