This article originally appeared in The Hill on January 12, 2014 As Americans take to the Internet as never before, the increasing rate of lawlessness online is of great concern. In addition to all too common identity theft, fraud and worse, 2014 saw devastating cyber breaches of large American companies including Target, Home Depot, JP Morgan and Sony Pictures. All of these attacks contribute to an environment of uncertainty and trepidation amongst consumers, as they consider adopting new technologies and online services. The recent attack on Sony Pictures has dramatically illustrated and escalated the extent of the danger. The attacks have also heightened the awareness of the importance of the need to protect intellectual property. As has been widely reported, Sony suffered a massive attack on its computer systems which led to the release of stolen material including emails, business plans and intellectual property (for some perspective, the amount of data stolen is more than every printed page in the Library of Congress). After an investigation, the FBI accused North Korea of orchestrating the attack, perhaps in part due to terrorist threats levied against Sony, movie theaters and consumers if “The Interview” (a boorish comedy about a CIA plot to assassinate North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un) was exhibited. On January 7, FBI Director James Comey reiterated North Korea’s complicity stating “We know who hacked Sony. It was the North Koreans… I have very high confidence about this attribution.”