Opinion | The laws governing cyberspace have got a lot scarier

Sometime in the early years of his presidency, former US President Barack Obama signed something called the Presidential Policy Directive 20 (PPD20). This was a secret act that only came into public notice when National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden gatecrashed the world in 2013 with masses of classified documents.

The 18-page PPD20 essentially formalizes the policy of offensive cyberwarfare by the US. However, the topic was considered so sensitive that any such project would have needed coordination at the highest level between intelligence agencies, the department of defence, the state department and, finally, a personal sign-off from the president.