Obama Considered Cyber-Weapons Against Libya, Pakistan

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http://www.mobiledia.com/news/112713.html

Obama Considered Cyber-Weapons Against Libya, Pakistan

By Kendra Srivastava | Tue Oct 18, 2011 11:29 am


The Obama administration reportedly considered conducting cyber-warfare against Libya, suggesting such offensives are completely developed, if still controversial....The debate over cyber-warfare reportedly also surfaced during the May 2 raid to kill Osama bin Laden.

In both cases, anonymous sources cited concerns over the executive branch's power to conduct cyber-warfare without Congressional approval, as well as questions of precedent, time frame and possibly far-reaching economic impact.

The U.S. Cyber-Command was established last year to coordinate computerized attacks, and may form part of the Pentagon's "Active Defenses" strategy, which describes classified cyber-weapons meant for both defensive and offensive online combat.

This move, along with debate over whether to use such technology against Libya and Pakistan, heralds a new military age in which even social media may figure in international conflicts....The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, for instance, promised a total of $42 million in funding to any contractor that can help leverage Facebook and Twitter against opposing forces.

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