Hackers and laws

Monday evening. Impact Hub Brno is completely packed. The second debate of Brněnská kavárna series begins. Today´s debate topic is Hackers and laws: security and laws in the digital world. Guests: doc. Radim Polčák and Prof. Miroslav Mareš from Masaryk university in Brno.

Radim Polčák begins with a discussion on the relation of laws to the social development. „It is not right when the law get ahead. We tied. It did not work. “ That is why the law cannot cover current issues, it always lags a bit behind.

Miroslav Mareš talks about computer crime and remembers he went through old communist journals from 1980s. There were already warnings of computer crime; therefore, it is not a new issue. He adds that progressive digitalization might be a threat as it makes it easier to abuse on-line data and commit a crime. At the same time, there have been waring for twenty years that someone can hack a system of a dam or a hospital and take it down but it has not happened yet.

Then the guests talk about a new law proposal on cybersecurity. When discussing the issue we face a crucial unsolvable problem, Radim Polčák says. To put up a defence cyberspace one must interfere with third parties´ right that is why it is so hard to find a reasonable and balanced solution. The main reason why Military Intelligence (VZ)  is responsible for cybersecurity in the Czech Republic is because it is better equipped than any other state agency to do that. Furthermore, VZ is an intelligence and counter-intelligence which allows it to operate abroad.

Miroslav Mareš says that our security forces can work well when we fully trust them they would not abuse the power they had been given. Radim Polčák adds that this issue is problematic as there are many people who remember times where security forces worked against average people. Another thing that encourages distrust of people is that they often do not know what security forces can do and what means they work with. Then he remembered a time when he met a VZ officer who told him about FBI´s annual report where a cover picture was a tattooed soldier in helicopter with a machine gun and he complaint that they cannot use a picture like this as they do have neither helicopter nor machine guns.

Radim Polčák considers the fear of abuse of powers exaggeration. “It is awful to imagine what powers the VZ will have, but policemen can carry guns and shoot today already. I think that a situation when I get shot down is worse than when my e-mail is read by someone.

A short break, questions from public. After two hours, we close the debate.