John McAfee Wants China to Handle US Cybersecurity

Crackpot plutocrat and self-professed “cybersecurity legend” John McAfee believes that the US is doing such a terrible job of protecting its cybersecurity interests, and that it should outsource the task to a country better equipped at dealing with technological threats: China. Yes, McAfee thinks a nation that wants to use an AI system to monitor its citizens’ every move should bring its expertise to American shores.

“China,” McAfee writes in a Business Insider op-ed, “has already stolen top secret information of everyone who worked for the US Government for the past 50 years, accessed critical information from the Pentagon. Homeland Security and the FBI, has everyone’s phone number, address and habits – and this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as we know. China has done the same thing to nearly every nation on earth.”

“I can assure you that the first word of an attempted attack against China, from any quarter, any person or any agency, would be heard, analyzed and dealt with within minutes of its utterance,” he argues. “In China, encryption is controlled by the Office of State Commercial Cryptography Administration (OSCCA). However, items such as wireless telephones, standard computer operating systems and internet browsers are not included under their regulations.”

Therefore, McAfee posits, China should be given the keys to the US cybersecurity initiative: “It would be better to subcontract our security to the Chinese, eat crow and swallow our pride, until we can stand on our own as a nation in this sea of cyber security chaos which we are clearly incapable of navigating.”

Obligatory reminder that McAfee is running for US President as the Libertarian candidate, presented without further comment.