ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to develop securitisation theory's articulation of the dichotomy between legitimate and illegitimate violence as it is reflected in British government policy by reflecting on active public-domain government documents and statements. This dichotomy has developed through process wherein Government Communications Headquarters and MI5 are portrayed as "faceless guarantors" of security, in Manichean juxtaposition to the discursively created phantom cyberterrorists, who are presented as "faceless detractors" of security. The chapter argues that, within the securitised discourse of cyberterrorism, the limits of fantasy possesses a murky nuance, which in turn, allows for a deeper – or at least more entrenched – securitisation. The official discourse surrounding the intelligence services' online surveillance apparatus operates with a similar opaque quality, but this is upheld by securitising actors as strength to be maintained. Conceptualising violence in fibre-optic cables may, on first appearance, seem counter-intuitive. The chapter offers critique of the construction of "faceless" detractors and guarantors of security exhibited in British cyber security.
