Assorted Materials: Johnny Ryan

We’ve initiated the Digital Future project at the IIEA. Click below to see my intro presentation, outlining 5 strategic questions for Ireland and The Digital Future: Read the rest of this entry »

I spoke on the issue of Internet governance at the Swiss Government’s counter terrorism seminar on 29 April 2008. Here is the presentation. Read the rest of this entry »

I interviewed Toomas Ilves, President of the Republic of Estonia, on 15 April 2008, about digital infrastructure, the DDOS attacks, and the future of digital competitiveness.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iOa2mqt5DXi7h40NageheWNxCyTQD8VPR7JG0

The Associated Press report that:

NATO needs to gear up for “iWar” — systematic attacks on the Web that could disrupt commerce worldwide by using crippling computer worms to shut down consumer online services such as Internet banking — warns Johnny Ryan, a researcher with the Institute of International and European Affairs.

“iWar will proliferate quickly and can be waged by anyone with an Internet connection,” Ryan cautioned in an analysis for NATO.

“In the short term, iWar poses a gathering threat to NATO members,” he said. “NATO must approach the problem as an immediate threat and strive to develop practical defensive cooperation.”

Read the rest of this entry »

On 1 May, I will be starting a round of high-level stakeholder consultations on behalf of the Institute of International & European Affairs on means to maintain Ireland’s competitive edge and the implications of change in the Digital Future. I anticipate the report being delivered to Government in September. Here below Peter Sutherland, Chairman of Goldman Sachs and of BP takes part in an initial consultation with me as part of the project. For information about this project, visit WWW.IIEA.COM/DIGITAL or contact me.

Read the rest of this entry »

I interviewed Ilkka Laitinen, Director of Frontex, the EU border security agency, for the European Biometrics Forum yesterday.

Read the rest of this entry »

I interviewed Frank Paul, Head of Large-Scale Information Systems, at the European Commission DG FSJ, about the future of biometrics in the European Union…

Read the rest of this entry »

I spoke at the Pluscarden Conference last weekend. Here’s the paper. Read the rest of this entry »

Full story http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/iwar_pirates_states_and_the_internet

I have introduced the term “iWar” (in an piece in NATO Review [Winter 2007], as well as this longer openDemocracy article) to denote attacks carried out over the internet that target the consumer internet infrastructure, such as the websites that provide access to online banking services. In this understanding, iWar is distinct from what the United States calls “cyberwar” or from what China calls “informationalised war”. Each of these refers to controlling communications, access to imagery intelligence, electronic espionage, and battlefield command and control; China’s defence white paper of December 2006, for example, emphasises the importance of gaining supremacy in space to control information assets such as satellites. iWar is different because it exploits the ubiquitous, low-security infrastructure. As a result, while nation-states alone can engage in “cyber” and “informationalised” warfare, iWar can be waged by individuals, corporations, and communities.

I’m putting together a document at work that will define the scope of our Digital Future group. The question is, what issues should be included and why if the group is to examine digital competitiveness in Ireland in the coming years?

In 1999 the Government’s Action Plan to Implement the Information Society noted that: “we are at the early stages of a new industrial revolution - one which will have more dramatic implications than any other single industrial development in the history of the State”. Today, the information and communication technology sector accounts for about one third of Irish exports and directly employs 93,000 people in more than 4,000 enterprises. Larger still is the digital sector, which could be far more broadly defined to include sub-sectors of the financial services, medical research, foreign development initiatives etc.

An important contributor to Ireland’s future competitiveness will be the government’s capacity to produce foreword looking policy that enables it to adapt to, and leverage the benefits of, the digital revolution that is currently underway. This means foreseeing not only the benefits of digital convergence and user-driven innovation, but also the vulnerabilities inherent in an increasing dependence on vulnerable - but indispensable - communications technologies. This is particularly true if Ireland is to remain attractive to the forward looking, innovative companies that can enhance our competitive edge and maintain Ireland’s E-ready, knowledge-rich economy in the decades to come. Read the rest of this entry »