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Global Ethics Corner: The Ethics of Cyber Warfare

From: Carnegie Council
Series: Global Ethics Corner
Length: 01:58

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An influential Russian engineer recently called for an international ban on cyber weapons, saying that they could have unforeseen consequences, but many American analysts disagree. Are these weapons dangerous or are they a cheaper and more ethical alternative to traditional warfare? Read the full description.

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Global Ethics Corner is a weekly 2 minute segment devoted to newsworthy ethical issues. It presents both sides of an issue, asking viewers to weigh the information and make up their own minds.

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Piece Description

Global Ethics Corner is a weekly 2 minute segment devoted to newsworthy ethical issues. It presents both sides of an issue, asking viewers to weigh the information and make up their own minds.

Transcript

The 21st century has already seen its fair share of inventions. We now have iPods, iPhones, and even electric cars. But not all inventions are positive ones. Could this century's most dangerous innovation be cyber weaponry?

That's the argument of the Russian telecommunications engineer Eugene Kaspersky. He founded one of the world's leading antivirus companies. He and many others believe that alleged state-sponsored cyber viruses like Stuxnet threaten global security. He draws a parallel to the Manhattan Project 70 years ago, which developed the nuclear bomb, saying that government efforts to build powerful cyber viruses have unforeseen consequences. That's why Kaspersky is calling for a ban on cyber weaponry. Unless countries adopt an international treaty forbidding computer warfare, he warns that states' military defenses, power grids, and financial systems will be under serious threa...
Read the full transcript

Additional Credits

Deborah Carroll – Executive Producer
Marlene Spoerri – Contributing Writer
Julia Kennedy - Content Editor
Robert Smithline - Editor
Terence Hurley - Editor
Gusta Johnson - Production Assistant

Related Website

www.carnegiecouncil.org