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F
IGHTING ON A NEW BATTLEFIELD ARMED WITH OLD LAWS:
H
OW TO MONITOR TERRORISM IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD
†
Lisa Ugelow
*
Lance J. Hoffman
**
I
NTRODUCTION
The United States has always relied in part on surveillance prac-
tices to obtain information about foreign governments, international
and domestic organizations, and citizens of the United States. The
twentieth century exemplifies this behavior. In 1918, the Overman
Committee was established to investigate pro-German sentiments,
and later investigated the influence of Communist Bolsheviks in the
United States.
1
In 1930, the Fish Committee was established to inves-
tigate people and organizations suspected of being involved with or
supporting Communist activities in the United States.
2
From 1934–
1937, the Special Committee on Un-American Activities Authorized
to Investigate Nazi Propaganda and Certain Other Propaganda Activ-
ities, also known as the McCormack-Dickstein Committee, was
formed to investigate how Nazi propaganda came into the United
†
Work on this paper was supported in part by funding from the Offices of the Vice Presi-
dent for Research, the Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the
Provost of The George Washington University. Errors and opinions stated are solely
those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The George Washing-
ton University or of any entities thereof.
*
Recipient of her LL.M. in National Security and U.S. Foreign Relations Law from The
George Washington University Law School and her J.D. from Albany Law School in New
York.
**
Distinguished Research Professor of Computer Science and Director, Cyber Security Poli-
cy and Research Institute, The George Washington University.
1
Regin Schmidt, RED SCARE: FBI AND THE ORIGINS OF ANTICOMMUNISM IN THE UNITED
STATES, 1919–1943, 136.
2
Crystal Hoffer, The Birth of Anticommunist National Rhetoric: The Fish Committee Hearings in
1930s Seattle, G
REAT DEPRESSION IN WASHINGTON STATE (Spring 2009), http://depts.
washington.edu/depress/fish_committee.shtml#_ednref2.
