Control and Resistance
171
Our research illustrates the need to utilize a holistic approach that incorporates
historical and political context into incident response and technical investigations,
especially in cases where the attackers face little or no likelihood of being prosecuted.
This analytical approach is especially applicable to civil society organizations that
confront ongoing, politically motivated attacks originating from attackers who leverage geography, adversarial political relationships, and the lack of international cooperation to avoid prosecution. Careful technical analysis is required to properly assess
the threat posed by attackers. However, if security incidents are treated as isolated
cases focused solely on technical forensics, the bigger picture and broader implications
of the attacks cannot be properly understood.
The struggle between information control and resistance in Burma takes place on a
contested terrain that reveals unique characteristics of cyberspace that preclude simplistic explanations and frames. The opposition between state and citizen that is emphasized by images of military crackdowns on peaceful protesters can obfuscate the
complexities of political power in cyberspace. The Burma case shows that even in a
country with one of the world ’ s most restrictive communications environments, an
authoritarian state cannot maintain full control over the Internet without disconnecting from the global network all together. Conversely, the same dynamic properties of
cyberspace that make it resistant to complete control are also what make vectors like
denial of service attacks such effective and vexing threats against freedom of expression.
These attacks may be the product of users motivated by patriotism swarming in
from the edges of the network to disrupt key information outlets, state-sanctioned
military operations, or collusion between states and criminal groups operating in the
shadows of the Internet. Any one or combination of these scenarios may be at work,
making the study of these attacks all the more diffi cult.
Burma shows that Asian cyberspace cannot be simply classifi ed as either a locus of
control or resistance, but rather is better understood as the site of a constantly evolving and dynamic contest between a range of actors and agendas. Understanding how
freedom of expression can be equally repressed and advocated in this environment
requires studying it holistically and examining the subtle interrelations between the
social, political, and technical facets of the network. Approaching the domain in this
way presents signifi cant practical and methodological diffi culties for consortiums like
the ONI, IWM, and the research and policy community at large, but confronting these
challenges and peering into the subterranean depths of cyberspace are essential for
revealing the contests being fought and the stakes involved in them.
Notes
1. Human Rights Watch, “ Burma, ” 2009, http://www.hrw.org/en/world-report-2010/burma ;
Amnesty International, “ Burma, Amnesty International Report 2009, ” http://report2009.amnesty
.org/en/regions/asia-pacifi c/myanmar .
171
Our research illustrates the need to utilize a holistic approach that incorporates
historical and political context into incident response and technical investigations,
especially in cases where the attackers face little or no likelihood of being prosecuted.
This analytical approach is especially applicable to civil society organizations that
confront ongoing, politically motivated attacks originating from attackers who leverage geography, adversarial political relationships, and the lack of international cooperation to avoid prosecution. Careful technical analysis is required to properly assess
the threat posed by attackers. However, if security incidents are treated as isolated
cases focused solely on technical forensics, the bigger picture and broader implications
of the attacks cannot be properly understood.
The struggle between information control and resistance in Burma takes place on a
contested terrain that reveals unique characteristics of cyberspace that preclude simplistic explanations and frames. The opposition between state and citizen that is emphasized by images of military crackdowns on peaceful protesters can obfuscate the
complexities of political power in cyberspace. The Burma case shows that even in a
country with one of the world ’ s most restrictive communications environments, an
authoritarian state cannot maintain full control over the Internet without disconnecting from the global network all together. Conversely, the same dynamic properties of
cyberspace that make it resistant to complete control are also what make vectors like
denial of service attacks such effective and vexing threats against freedom of expression.
These attacks may be the product of users motivated by patriotism swarming in
from the edges of the network to disrupt key information outlets, state-sanctioned
military operations, or collusion between states and criminal groups operating in the
shadows of the Internet. Any one or combination of these scenarios may be at work,
making the study of these attacks all the more diffi cult.
Burma shows that Asian cyberspace cannot be simply classifi ed as either a locus of
control or resistance, but rather is better understood as the site of a constantly evolving and dynamic contest between a range of actors and agendas. Understanding how
freedom of expression can be equally repressed and advocated in this environment
requires studying it holistically and examining the subtle interrelations between the
social, political, and technical facets of the network. Approaching the domain in this
way presents signifi cant practical and methodological diffi culties for consortiums like
the ONI, IWM, and the research and policy community at large, but confronting these
challenges and peering into the subterranean depths of cyberspace are essential for
revealing the contests being fought and the stakes involved in them.
Notes
1. Human Rights Watch, “ Burma, ” 2009, http://www.hrw.org/en/world-report-2010/burma ;
Amnesty International, “ Burma, Amnesty International Report 2009, ” http://report2009.amnesty
.org/en/regions/asia-pacifi c/myanmar .