Florian Egloff, Research Affiliate of the Cyber Studies Programme, has written an article (17 November) for Lawfare, a U.S. national security policy website, about the risks of cyber privateering as a policy choice for the United States.
Florian writes, “Although I agree that the analogies [of cyber security problems to historical privateering] are striking, the risks of adopting 17th century policy in today’s environment are underappreciated. There are many risks, but the following three stand out: an increased risk of unnecessary escalation, the potential for reprisal, and the setting of an international norm that is, for the United States, strategically undesirable.”
You can also read Florian's working paper, Cybersecurity and the Age of Privateering: A Historical Analogy, by clicking here
