On June 8, 2010, Booz Allen Executive Vice President Mike McConnell and his debate partner, Harvard law professor Jonathan Zittrain, jointly debated two opponents on the topic of cyber threat in a broadcast hosted Intelligence Squared, U.S. The debate was titled “The Cyber War Threat Has Been Grossly Exaggerated,” and McConnell and Zittrain faced off against privacy advocate Marc Rotenberg and security technologist Bruce Schneier, who argued in favor of the measure -- that the threat has been exaggerated.
Before the 90-minute debate, the audience of several hundred at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. were 54% in favor of the McConnell/Zittrain position, with 24% favoring the opponents’ position, and 22% undecided. At the close of the fast paced and entertaining discussion, the McConnell/Zittrain arguments had swayed 71% of the audience to their position, vs. 23% for the opponents and only 6% undecided.
Balancing Opportunity and Risk in Cyberspace: The Need for a New National Debate
Cyber Debate: Mike McConnell outlines why he believes that the threat of a major cyber attack is real, and the risk the nation faces as a highly interconnected society. View Now
Cyber Debate: Mike McConnell argues that national security and privacy are not mutually exclusive, and that the key is in creating appropriately written law. View Now
Cyber Debate: Mike McConnell speaks on what the government is doing to create a new generation of workers with the skills to protect the country from a cyber attack. View Now
Cyber Debate: Jonathan Zittrain characterizes the cyber war threat. View Now
