The fact that Media today is a “Society Eye and Ear” yet to be proved.

Can it be “a watchdog” defending social interests during spreading of information?  Or is it involved in a marathon of declaring “crazy” or “angel” a certain politician; casting enemy’s image over entire nation; justifying violence no matter what goals the criminals pursue?

You often hear that it is politicians who use provoking and insulting terms and the media only interprets them. Its hard to disagree with this argument, but by brief collage of scandal topics and “frauds”

Though the culture of political scandals is a culture virus which spreads like an epidemic in the society, we shall agree from the very beginning that the right to information and freedom of media are basic values. These values should work out in a personality, in a society and in a state a gift of adaptation to dynamic development of the world on the basis of correct moral orientation and information culture. Yes, to protect precisely these values the formation of an information security system should be strengthened.

The polemics on the problems of information security concerns essentially the methods of protection of information networks and data, no matter whether it is literature or mass-media.

In its turn, the system, as a whole, means the balanced relationship of its components. Therefore, the improvement of the components is based on the system effectiveness.

As for the idea of security, it means the existence in such conditions where the degree of risk is minimal.

In this situation a question arises: “Can we create a system of measures for removal of consequences of information caused by harmful external influence, which can be a certain guide to action?”

I will take the liberty of analyzing this problem together with you, because there is no unambiguous answer: “Only I know how to solve the problem of formation of the European system of information security”.

Thus, what is the essence of the problem?

The information security has not been interpreted systematically. The problem is not only by what it is spread, but also what and how it is spread. At the same time, the system must provide not only eradication of results, but also prophylaxis. Therefore, let us consider in aggregate the methods, ways and means of mass spread of information.

On the one hand, - such theories of mass communications as framing, agenda setting, cultivation, mediation, third (first) – person effects, selective exposure, etc. develop in geometric progression. Though, the variety of these theories shows that the information society in its content is not conflict-free. Therefore, these theories create new models of media, society and political system interrelationship.

On the other hand, - the technological revolution created unprecedented threats to culturally important information resources, or professional data divulgence, which is not relevant to the present-day level of development of technical security. For example, according to the first 5-month data of 2008, more that 205 financial organizations became victims of Internet-bombardment – Lithuanian, Estonian, Polish, Georgian sites were bombed, spammers left the Marshall islands  without electron-mail. The USA again blamed the Chinese for hacker attacks, but China, in its turn, rejects this accusation and created a unique form of network phlashing attack which can distantly put a module out of action without any possibility of its restoration. Thus,  only technical security means are not effective if they are not connected with the carried out policy from the viewpoint of the above-mentioned values of information receipt and spread.

To build this interrelated system, let us characterize the dangers resulting from mass politicization as opposed to democratic values.

1. On the one hand, free access to the information and, on the other hand, information aggression. Can be overcome by the arbiter function of the fourth power.  Though, as shown by practice, if in any country media acts under the influence of policy or itself creates a policy – the danger of information aggression becomes massive and global  (1.Media as an arbiter, 2. Media – political system elements/ 3. Media – Mediocraty).
2. On the one hand, - global information accessibility (Internet, and, on the other hand, - increase in the danger of the information subversion can be overcome by development of a network system and technical security provision systems. In this case, as shown by practice, global network changes on the basis of network system politicization created the best environment for cyber-danger. The private life of people and personal data of organizations become victims due to criminal actions, let alone the danger of cyber-terrorism among the states.
3. On the one hand, - a right to education and general recognition of a information revolution, on the other hand, - an increase in the chaotic character of information bases in the 21st century can be overcome by systematic investments into scientific and technical knowledge and by a long-term innovation policy. Though, in this field, non-equal development of states leads to grave political consequences in international relations. Due to non-equal development of the information culture there, arises a danger of breaking the links between the information elite and information users.

Before passing to proposals on the “problem of formation of European systems of information security” I would like to emphasize why this question was raised by the representative of Georgia at the European Forum. In Georgia there are only solitary instances of investigation of this problem. But, beginning from the 1990s, in many instances it became a victim of the information war. According to the last example, Georgia appears to be an aggressor on its own territory?! Tomorrow Ukraine will pass through the same situation in the Crimea, the day after tomorrow – European states.

Due to geopolitical situation, Georgia became a crossroad of interests of the world giants – USA and Russia, so that the threats of information attacks became real and but for the interference of European states, escalation of the conflict could not be stopped. This region is a good example not only for investigations of removal of dangers, but also for its conversion to a security zone not to be contagious.
In Russia there appeared an information security doctrine (2000), in the USA - National Strategy of Internal Security (2002 and 2007).

Indeed, in Europe particular Acts were adopted [“Information Social Defense Strategy (2006), which appeals for the structural dialogue in the form of consultations on network programs; Convention on Cyber-crime of the Council of Europe and other international Acts)]. But their implementation level is rather low.

Here, I would like to emphasize one point – if we consider the security culture not only as a business value, but as a political responsibility and the fact that the losses caused by this non-culture exceeds in billions the losses of investments into the information culture, there becomes clear the role of Europe in the problems of competitive innovation production which is the means of prophylaxis of information wars and removal of its consequences.

According to the above said we propose the following:

• Development of a European information security concept which will be a complex document of measures for realization of the information rights (technical, organizational, legal). This document together with the already tested elements should involve such elements as:
  • Formation of a European program of adaptation to the information society to reach the information culture level where special attention will be given to information culture aspects to solve ethnic and regional problems.
  • Formation of a European Council of Media-Ombudsmen, a European body for data protection (or similar organizational units) which perform monitoring of psychological information wars and information ecology. In this aspect they consider complaints on the basis of ethic codes, elaborate recommendations.
  • Motivation for carrying out a long-term innovation policy. Development of a program of investments into scientific and technical knowledge with necessary use of regional and intellectual resources (scientific and technical libraries, information services, translation and publication of scientific and technical literature, etc.)
  • Introduction of organizational forms facilitating innovative processes (free economic zones of high technologies, technoparks, etc.).
  • In the information field – implementation and monitoring of international Acts, full-bodied introduction of licensing and standard system into the cyberspace.

Information wars have no particular subject, their consequences may manifest themselves anywhere. One particular state is not  able to overcome this problem, even if it is a giant and has its own strategies and concepts. This is not an atomic bomb first to prohibit it and then to establish monitoring on its non-use.

Today, you can often hear: “We have won the information war”, or “somebody has lost the information war”. Kosovo, Bosnia, Somali, Chechnya,  Karabakh, Abkhazia, South Ossetia – are dramatic visual shots and horrible human sufferings -  these are “information injections” or imposing fear on people elsewhere but not there where it has already taken place; in the information war an enemy is a relative notion like a relative winner. Each of you may become a victim of the information war started quite at a different place. Therefore, while in this field particular mechanisms are being developed, the crisis of expectation should be overcome and we, from Georgia, start the international movement “Say No to Information War!”.

Join us!