Technology and the Global War Against Freedom

The enemy wants to destroy our system. We need to believe in it.

by Rod D. Martin
March 1, 2003

Not long before September 11, the bipartisan Hart-Rudman Commission concluded its three year study of America's security needs over the next quarter century. Chartered by former President Clinton and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the commission reached some truly alarming conclusions.

Some, like the threat of nuclear terrorism, are on everyone's minds today. But others were not so obvious.

The commission gravely warned of a new era of internet-borne weapons. In Gingrich's words, "our adversaries are becoming more sophisticated…. From breaking down communications systems to initiating electrical blackouts to infiltrating and disrupting our financial systems, there are a number of major disruptions that could unravel our economy, diminish our quality of life and generally destabilize the nation."

This threat is real: I have witnessed it first-hand. PayPal -- the world's premier internet payments solution -- has been assaulted by every manner of criminal a…