Already, private American citizens wage private war in cyber-space against the jihadis:
This is a domain of warfare where an individual can make a difference," Maj. T.J. O'Connor, a signal officer with Army Special Forces, told a conference in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. "Personalities are acceptable in this domain."
But other U.S. officials worry that digital vigilantes may disrupt existing intelligence operations, spook important targets online, or shut down extremist websites that are secretly being monitored by Western agencies for fruitful tips and contacts.
"Someone needs to be the quarterback to coordinate these things," said Frank Cilluffo, director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University. "If it's not coordinated in any way, it can cause problems for the good guys."
This is a potential asset and a potential problem, as the article notes. I've noted the issue before.
Further, how long will these cyber-booters stay confined to the Internet? The Internet will enable private warfare in the physical world if there is a demand for the service.
Indeed, there is much we need to think about when it comes to privatized warfare.
