The United States military has recently announced the creation of a new “cyber command”, which is intended to defend US interests. It should also give the US military the power to launch cyber offensives and wage war on the digital battlefield, in a bid to defend against the increasing threats against military computer networks.

This latest cyber command center will start operating in October and will take approximately one year to become fully operational. These announcements come at a time when cyber dominance has been viewed as an essential part of military strategy for the future, as the government has envisioned that it is just as important to have superiority on the digital battlefield as it is any other.

However, while the US military is embracing cyber warfare, many privacy advocates are concerned about the effects that such an offensive may have on privacy and other civil liberties. There is also a growing concern that this may lead to the militarization of cyberspace.

The United States has over seven million computers in its networks and it faces a real threat, as revealed by many recent penetrations of its networks. As a result, President Obama has announced that cyber security is to remain a top priority and revealed plans to create a national cyber defense coordinator to help advise and guide on issues.

By creating a cyber-deterrent, the government hopes to protect the USA against attackers from China, Russia and other rogue nations, which have built up a significant infrastructure to commit criminal cyber attacks against the United States and the western world.

At the same time, the White house promised to respect and safeguard privacy rights. However, after recent revelations regarding unlawful intercepts of domestic e-mail by the National Security Agency, it still remains uncertain how they will safeguard privacy and ensure that civil rights are maintained.

News Reports have recently surfaced revealing that the National Security Agencies surveillance of American citizens may be wider ranging than previously thought. A recent announcement by Congress suggested that the top secret spy organization’s monitoring of domestic internet traffic has gone beyond legal limits.

This news comes as a result of leaked reports detailing the NSA’s potentially unconstitutional actions, after a whistleblower revealed that the NSA were training analysts to monitor large amounts of domestic email. These reports have raised new concerns about the National Security Agency and sparked an investigation by the House Select Intelligence Oversight Panel.

In an age of increased domestic terrorism, it remains clear that authorities must be ever vigilant but many of these actions are flagrant and direct violations of the constitution. Much of this spying on American citizens has gone on without any form of court warrant, so technically it is illegal.

Because of the increase in domestic and international surveillance, the NSA has been targeting everyday communications that may or may not pertain to active terror investigations. This is in direct breach of the constitution and also countless privacy laws.

Given the difficulties exposed in identifying and separating domestic email foreign emails, laws were passed in order to ensure the protection of the National Security Agency. The NSA then exploited these laws to collect many millions of domestic e-mail records.

It would seem that everyday e-mail communications are no longer safe, and as a result even the average citizen should take precautions when sending sensitive information via email.

After these damning details were revealed, the National Security Agency refused to comment other than to provide a standard statement detailing that ‘technical errors can and do occur.’