Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach for his comprehensive reply. This is a very serious issue. For some years other member states of the European Union have been subject to ongoing cyber intimidation. In the case of Latvia, a Russian-based attack brought down the country's Internet and paralysed official business. This year, we have seen a serious escalation in the use of cyber intimidation between countries. There was a time, perhaps, when leaks were justified on the basis that they involved whistleblowing or the revelation of hidden illegal activity, but now it appears to be about intimidation. Even Edward Snowden has condemned the approach of publishing anything and everything, including outing people in countries where to be outed might threaten one's life.

It is striking that all of the attacks have been directed against countries with free elections and high levels of personal freedom. It appears that the online crusaders have no interest in tackling authoritarian states, which has been evident over the past 12 months or so. Given that, we cannot expect to be isolated from such developments. The Taoiseach indicated that his Department has a strong awareness of this and that it is using the highest industrial standard to ensure IT security, given how much essential Government business is now done online. I take it that applies across the Government. At European Union level, is the Government sharing and engaging with other member states on experiences with breaches of IT security? Has there been engagement with the United States in this regard? During the recent presidential election there were extraordinary assertions and allegations about, for example, the hacking of Democratic Party headquarters by other countries. I cannot validate or confirm the veracity of who did what but, nonetheless, there appears to have been an unprecedented involvement or engagement by others through the IT networks to undermine people's reputations.

The volume of e-mails between personnel in Democratic Party headquarters that was put into the public domain is quite striking. People were having what they thought were bona fide honest, thinking conversations and every item was subsequently hacked and made available. The act of the revelation, as it were, became secondary to the revelations because the content was considered juicy or interesting enough not to worry about how it had got into the public domain. What was important was the content, despite the fact that, in life, people have conversations in which they think things through. Before such technology ever existed, one might be in a room with three or four other people to talk through an issue with them. One might ask: "Should we do X, Y or Z?" That is an important human process. The degree to which privacy is out the window in that respect is retrograde in my view. However, it shows what can happen. In the context of elections and free democracies, the democracies are the most vulnerable in these scenarios. Authoritarian states can suppress the Internet in the some aspects and can take steps to protect the citadel, so to speak. Democracies are far more vulnerable.

Cyber warfare is now a new part of engagement. It can wreak huge economic damage, as entire systems can be shut down. That happened recently with various services. Without any use of conventional warfare, it can do enormous damage to economic life and the quality of life of many citizens.

Has there been an international engagement by the country, by the Taoiseach's Department or others in government, with the American experience with other democracies in Europe and further afield across the globe? The evolution of it has the potential to do untold damage and hold countries to ransom if it continues at the current pace.

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