Chapter Overview
The idea that terrorists could cause massive loss of life, worldwide economic chaos and irreparable environmental damage by hacking into critical infrastructure systems has captured the public imagination. Air traffic control systems, nuclear power stations, hospitals and stock markets are all viable targets for ‘cyberterrorists’ wanting to wreak havoc and destruction. On the less serious end of the spectrum, cyber-attacks against websites and other non-essential infrastructure by political ‘hacktivists’ are increasing by the day. Governments clearly need laws in place to protect against acts of cyberterrorism, but they also need to ensure that these laws do not encompass less serious uses of computer and Internet technology. This chapter examines legal definitions of terrorism and related offences in four Commonwealth nations (the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand). In doing so it addresses two questions. Firstly, what uses of computer and Internet technology does domestic law regard as acts of terrorism? Secondly, are existing legal responses to terrorism sufficient to cover the possibility of a serious act of cyberterrorism?
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Notes
- 1.
The first change, made by section 34 of the Terrorism Act 2006, was to extend the definition to attacks against ‘international governmental organisations’. The second change, made by section 75 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008, was to extend the definition to acts committed for the purpose of ‘racial’ causes. We have included these amendments when setting out the TA2000 definition.
- 2.
[2007] EWCA Crim 243.
- 3.
[2012] EWCA Crim 280.
- 4.
[2006] NSWSC 691.
- 5.
See Combating Terrorism Act (SC 2013, c 9), which came into force 24 May 2013.
Further Reading and Resources
Bronitt S, Gani M (2003) Shifting boundaries of cybercrime: from computer hacking to cyber-terrorism. Crim Law J 27:303–321
Conte A (2007) Counter-terrorism and human rights in New Zealand. New Zealand Law Foundation, Wellington
Hardy K (2010) Operation titstorm: hacktivism or cyber-terrorism? Univ New S Wales Law J 33(2):474–502
Hardy K, Williams G (2011) What is ‘terrorism’? Assessing domestic legal definitions. UCLA J Int Law Foreign Aff 16(1):77–162
Lynch A, Williams G (2006) What price security? Taking stock of Australia’s anti-terror laws. Federation Press, Sydney
Lynch A, Macdonald E, Williams G (2007) Law and liberty in the war on terror. Federation Press, Sydney
Ramraj VV et al (2011) Global anti-terrorism law and policy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Roach K (2011) The 9/11 effect. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Roach K (2003) September 11: consequences for Canada. McGill-Queen’s University Press, Montreal
Walker C (2009) Blackstone’s guide to the anti-terrorism legislation. Oxford University Press, Oxford
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Hardy, K., Williams, G. (2014). What is ‘Cyberterrorism’? Computer and Internet Technology in Legal Definitions of Terrorism. In: Chen, T., Jarvis, L., Macdonald, S. (eds) Cyberterrorism. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0962-9_1
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