The Darkening Web
is a new book by Alexander Klimburg about the under-reported fight over the
control and power of the internet and cyberspace. Below are some remarks and reviews available
on Amazon.com.
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"A chilling but well-informed and readable tour of
cyber interdependence. Anyone interested in our growing global vulnerabilities
should read this book.”
—Joseph S. Nye, Jr., author of The Future of Power
No single invention of the last half century has changed the way we live now as much as the Internet. Alexander Klimburg was a member of the generation for whom it was a utopian ideal turned reality: a place where ideas, information, and knowledge could be shared and new freedoms found and enjoyed. Two decades later, the future isn’t so bright any more: increasingly, the Internet is used as a weapon and a means of domination by states eager to exploit or curtail global connectivity in order to further their national interests.
—Joseph S. Nye, Jr., author of The Future of Power
No single invention of the last half century has changed the way we live now as much as the Internet. Alexander Klimburg was a member of the generation for whom it was a utopian ideal turned reality: a place where ideas, information, and knowledge could be shared and new freedoms found and enjoyed. Two decades later, the future isn’t so bright any more: increasingly, the Internet is used as a weapon and a means of domination by states eager to exploit or curtail global connectivity in order to further their national interests.
Klimburg is a leading voice in the conversation on the
implications of this dangerous shift, and in The Darkening Web, he
explains why we underestimate the consequences of states’ ambitions to project
power in cyberspace at our peril: Not only have hacking and cyber operations
fundamentally changed the nature of political conflict—ensnaring states in a
struggle to maintain a precarious peace that could rapidly collapse into
all-out war—but the rise of covert influencing and information warfare has
enabled these same global powers to create and disseminate their own distorted
versions of reality in which anything is possible. At stake are not only our
personal data or the electrical grid, but the Internet as we know it today—and
with it the very existence of open and democratic societies.
Blending anecdote with argument, Klimburg brings us
face-to-face with the range of threats the struggle for cyberspace presents,
from an apocalyptic scenario of debilitated civilian infrastructure to a 1984-like
erosion of privacy and freedom of expression. Focusing on different approaches
to cyber-conflict in the US, Russia and China, he reveals the extent to which
the battle for control of the Internet is as complex and perilous as the one
surrounding nuclear weapons during the Cold War—and quite possibly as dangerous
for humanity as a whole.
Authoritative, thought-provoking, and compellingly argued, The
Darkening Web makes clear that the debate about the different aspirations
for cyberspace is nothing short of a war over our global values.
Editorial Reviews
“The Darkening Web provides a sweeping yet nuanced
overview of how we got to where we are online, with ample backstory… A
thoughtful framework for assessing developments in this fast-moving
area…Ultimately, Klimburg concludes, the battle for a free Internet ‘is nothing
less than the struggle for the heart of modern democratic society.’”—Nature
“Exhaustively researched. . . . A complex, fascinating book. . . . Indispensable reading for anyone keen to understand what lies ahead as cyberspace displaces conventional battlefields as the preferred venue for resolving conflict.”—TheToronto
“A dark but riveting account of how competition between nations threatens the future of the Internet. Klimburg provides a broad overview of the technical and political underpinnings of the Internet and reveals how many of them are being eroded by short-sightedness and national pride. A must-read.”—Jeff Moss, founder of Black Hat and DEF CON conferences
“A compelling and authoritative book that will shape the conversation about the intersection of the Internet and foreign policy.”—Bruce Schneier, author of Data and Goliath
“At a time of rising focus on threats to the internet, Alexander Klimburg introduces much needed clarity and precision into such concepts as cyber war and information security. This book is indispensable—not only for national security officials formulating policies on cyber conflict, cyber crime and cyber governance, but for any reader seeking a strong grounding in this critically important material and what it means for our global future.”—Michael Chertoff, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
“Alexander Klimburg provides a chilling but well-informed and readable tour of cyber interdependence. Anyone interested in our growing global vulnerabilities should read this book.”—Joseph S. Nye, Jr., University Distinguished Service Professor atHarvard
University
“Klimburg is exceedingly qualified to write about cyberspace as a new field of war. . . . The dark side of cyberspace is a daunting subject, but Klimburg’s narrative is very accessible, and frankly, this is all far too important to ignore.”—Booklist
“A very frightening book. . . . Reading it is well worth the effort. Recommended for anyone interested in international affairs.”—Library Journal
“An excellent primer on cyberwarfare. . . . A chilling portrait of the emergence of cyberspace as a domain for political conflict.”—Publishers Weekly
“Klimburg delivers an urgent warning that civil libertarians and cybernauts alike will want to heed.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Exhaustively researched. . . . A complex, fascinating book. . . . Indispensable reading for anyone keen to understand what lies ahead as cyberspace displaces conventional battlefields as the preferred venue for resolving conflict.”—The
“A dark but riveting account of how competition between nations threatens the future of the Internet. Klimburg provides a broad overview of the technical and political underpinnings of the Internet and reveals how many of them are being eroded by short-sightedness and national pride. A must-read.”—Jeff Moss, founder of Black Hat and DEF CON conferences
“A compelling and authoritative book that will shape the conversation about the intersection of the Internet and foreign policy.”—Bruce Schneier, author of Data and Goliath
“At a time of rising focus on threats to the internet, Alexander Klimburg introduces much needed clarity and precision into such concepts as cyber war and information security. This book is indispensable—not only for national security officials formulating policies on cyber conflict, cyber crime and cyber governance, but for any reader seeking a strong grounding in this critically important material and what it means for our global future.”—Michael Chertoff, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
“Alexander Klimburg provides a chilling but well-informed and readable tour of cyber interdependence. Anyone interested in our growing global vulnerabilities should read this book.”—Joseph S. Nye, Jr., University Distinguished Service Professor at
“Klimburg is exceedingly qualified to write about cyberspace as a new field of war. . . . The dark side of cyberspace is a daunting subject, but Klimburg’s narrative is very accessible, and frankly, this is all far too important to ignore.”—Booklist
“A very frightening book. . . . Reading it is well worth the effort. Recommended for anyone interested in international affairs.”—Library Journal
“An excellent primer on cyberwarfare. . . . A chilling portrait of the emergence of cyberspace as a domain for political conflict.”—Publishers Weekly
“Klimburg delivers an urgent warning that civil libertarians and cybernauts alike will want to heed.” – Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Alexander Klimburg is a program director at The Hague Centre
for Strategic Studies, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, and
an associate and former fellow at the Belfer
Center of the Harvard Kennedy
School Boston , Vienna and The Hague
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