5 years ago... Clinton to give grants to trainee cyber-snoopers

07.01.00: President Clinton is planning a scholarship scheme for university students who study computer security and work for the government after graduation.

The plans are part of a $2bn allocation of federal money set aside for safeguarding the nation's computer security.

The move is intended to counter what the US perceives as a growing threat of cyber-terrorism.

07.01.05: Cyber-snooping has become an integral part of Homeland security and Patriot Act provisioning. The right to spy on communications was identified early as a means of limiting terrorist planning and collaboration as well as mitigating the risk of cyberterrorism.

Of course it wasn't without controversy in Clinton's day, and is far from widely accepted even in a post-11 September world as such powers increase in their pervasiveness.

The biggest criticism is that it is yet more 'Big Brother' controls swept through on the bandwagon of fear. There has not been a single incident to this day to suggest 'cyberterror' attacks are anything more than unfounded scaremongering by those with an agenda of social control and those who irresponsibly sell security products.