Position Paper

The Use ofDigital Enforcementin Light of COVID-19May 2020

The Use of Digital Enforcement During and After the Coronavirus Pandemic – May 2020

ContentsIntroduction .............................................................................................................................. 3
Part I – Within the digital world ................................................................................................ 4
Part II - Digital Enforcement During Covid-19 ........................................................................... 5Conclusion................................................................................................................................. 6

The Use of Digital Enforcement During and After the Coronavirus Pandemic – May 2020

Introduction
The continuous development of the Internet, its ever-growing number of users andvirtually unlimited content sharing opportunities, inevitably raise the issue of legal
Internet regulation and enforcement. With the Coronavirus pandemic, some of thesechallenges have become unbearable. All the uncontrolled illegal digital activities such as
terrorism, drug trafficking and child pornography, have reached a level that calls forintervention. Law enforcement agencies have been forced to recognize the urgency ofimplementing digital enforcement as a means to prevent these activities. This can beachieved using more progressive tools that are currently being discussed or tested todeliver more advanced digital enforcement capabilities.
The current COVID-19 pandemic has led us to the inevitable limitation of our basic
freedoms and rights such as movement, privacy and religion. Most of the world’s
governments have declared a state of emergency, allowing unprecedented measures in
the name of public safety. More than ever, the digital world is a source of information
for the masses and provides visuals to people who cannot leave their homes or debate
the information coming from conventional sources.
The urgent need for continuous, detailed intelligence and insight from affected areas
has forced massive usage of strategic tools already in place at law enforcement agencies(LEA). These tools that are commonly used to track criminals, terrorists or othergovernmental targets are now tracking citizens suspected of potentially carrying theCOVID-19 virus.
Going forward, probably the most significant legacy of the Pandemic will be a major
disruption of the intelligence world and the subsequent rise and democratization ofmassive digital enforcement and surveillance tools. This is comparable to the race forintelligence after the September 11 attacks.

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The Use of Digital Enforcement During and After the Coronavirus Pandemic – May 2020

Part I
Within the digital world
Cyberspace is not beyond the rule of law. The common standard for regulating digitalspace is to prevent social turmoil and division, but mainly to curb the spread of illegal
content and extremist incitement. Although certain achievements in regulating thedigital space have been made, recent events are bringing up unique and more severe
challenges from many different sources that need to be addressed. Frankly speaking, weare all beginners in Digital Regulation and Enforcement. Furthermore, laws must beimproved constantly to better regulate and control the digital world.
A report titled Freedom on the Net 2018: The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism released
by Freedom House, a US-based NGO that conducts research on political freedom andhuman rights, notes that, ‘’In 2018 only, more than 17 countries approved or proposed
laws that would restrict online media in the name of fighting 'fake news' and online
manipulation.’’The report also shows that stricter Internet regulation will be an irresistible trend
worldwide. More idealistic opinion makers claim that the power of the Internet can only
be curbed by society itself without regulation by the state. However, we argue that theInternet without regulation will be like a lawless country, doomed to be filled withviolence, hate and chaos. No country in the world can truly realize absolute freedom ofspeech in cyberspace. Without question, the pandemic, and events like it will be an
accelerator for such results.
Another report from March 2019 by the Pew Research Center titled For Local News,
Americans Embrace Digital but Still Want Strong Community Connection, analyzes thedifferent channels through which Americans are receiving and collecting news andinformation. The report states that 89% of Americans get at least some local news
digitally and about four-in-ten (41%) do so often. 12% of Americans often get local news
from online forums meaning digital word to mouth. Another 15% get their news
primarily from social media and 23% from news Websites. finally, 32% describe Internet
as the most important way to get news. According to the report,‘’The digital environment is now a key component in
how Americans learn about local events and issues in
the news. Today, almost as many U.S. adults say they
prefer to get their local news through the Internet as
prefer to do so through the television set.’’4

The Use of Digital Enforcement During and After the Coronavirus Pandemic – May 2020

At the time that this article is being written, the Coronavirus pandemic has alreadyclaimed 230,000 victims. But the worst seems yet to come. Our incapacity to foresee
when humanity can take back control of a situation is generating an astronomic amountof discussion in online forums and alternative news sites.
And as if the pandemic itself was not enough, reports from South Korea are now
mentioning reactivation of the Virus on cured patients. Our economies are being
devastated and most of the world is maintaining full lockdown. The lack of visibility isleading state leaders to extreme and unprecedented measures.

Part II
Digital Enforcement During the Covis-19
We are presently witnessing one of the certain legacies of the coronavirus: Massive
State digital Surveillance and Enforcement. Countries such as France, Germany, Israel,
USA and the United Kingdom have unleashed their Intelligence and Law enforcement
agencies with the hope that by controlling the crowd they may be able to control thevirus.
Looking East toward the Asian countries, their strategies have solidified the decision tointroduce massive digital surveillance and enforcement. South Korea and China madeuse of expansive and intrusive Digital Surveillance and Digital Enforcement technologies,
enabling the successful control and recovery of the pandemic.
The digital technologies used to fight COVID-19 were made possible by shifting thecontrol and traffic of national networks from telecom providers to the Government
itself. For example, by modifying the prioritization of Internet network traffic from
regular services to intelligence needs, states can generate sufficient bandwidth andredirect the traffic of all the digital Sources. Data from CCTV surveillance, credit card
information, facial recognition, Internet surveillance, GSM and IP-based geolocation,and others are now rapidly and securely collected.
The collection and analysis of this monumental amount of data is also creating thenecessity for securing the network and the new sources from third party threats.
Network security solutions are an important element of the mission as they secure any
end points and the transit from the sources to the command and control center. LEA arecapable of sealing the intelligence pipe without accessing the sources.

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The Use of Digital Enforcement During and After the Coronavirus Pandemic – May 2020

Finally, application control capabilities allow LEA to ensure the accuracy of the content
available online and in forums aligned with the crisis management requirements.
Anyone who tries to negatively influence the progress in the fight against the pandemic
can be rejected from the network and rendered incapable of spreading their dangerous
intentions. In extreme times, extreme measures are necessary.
Though some question if the ends justify the means, digital surveillance andenforcement have resulted in a lower death rate, faster recovery and reduced impact
on local economies for the states who managed to make proper use of it.

Conclusion
It is evident that digital prediction and intelligence could help the world to better
manage the next crisis whether it is a new pandemic or another event that we cannot
yet foresee. The necessity and value of Digital Intelligence and digital prediction areunmistakable.
Networks have a very central role in our day to day lives; They are critical for most of
our basic needs and essential for all national and international infrastructures. Even so,
the infrastructures and services are predominantly managed by private companies
whose priority and focus are purely financial.
Governments have a set of tools to monitor and control the networks via laws,
regulations and political decisions. But there is too much exposure in the digital worldand not enough ways to monitor and protect it.
The evident conflict between total visibility and privacy is making this challenge evenmore complicated. It is a shared responsibility between states and vendors to ensure
the right expectations are set and that their available capabilities are optimallyemployed.

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