--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Internet is brittle and fragile and…" description: "\"The Internet is brittle and fragile and too easy to take down. It's a conduit for criminal activity. We need international treaties to prosecute the ba..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/vint-cerf-8158_activity_the-internet-is-brittle-and-fragile-and_1559870.jpg" --- # The Internet is brittle and fragile and too easy to take… ![“The Internet is brittle and fragile and too easy to take down. It's a conduit for criminal activity. We need international treaties to prosecute the bad guys, but we don't have them.” quote by Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/vint-cerf-8158_activity_the-internet-is-brittle-and-fragile-and_1559870.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/vint-cerf-8158_activity_the-internet-is-brittle-and-fragile-and_1559870.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/vint-cerf-8158_activity_the-internet-is-brittle-and-fragile-and_1559870.jpg) > “The Internet is brittle and fragile and too easy to take down. It's a conduit for criminal activity. We need international treaties to prosecute the bad guys, but we don't have them.” [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The internet's infrastructure is vulnerable; global cooperation is needed to protect it. **In simple terms:** Internet is fragile; needs international law. Key Takeaway Advocate for stronger global cyber policies. Themes technology security policy Mood concerned urgent Type political analytical When to use this quote - government negotiations - industry standards - public awareness campaigns - legal frameworks Key Concepts cybersecurity global governance digital rights Questions to Reflect On - What incentives can align nations? - How to balance privacy with security? A Different Perspective Sovereignty concerns can hinder treaty adoption. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guy/) [Bad guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guys/) [Criminal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal/) [Fragile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragile/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) ## Related quotes > [Italians cannot vote on international treaties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matteo-salvini/italians-cannot-vote-on-international-treaties/) [Matteo Salvini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matteo-salvini/) > [I am ... willing to make it clear that American foreign policy must uphold the sanctity of international treaties. That is the cornerstone on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-am-willing-to-make-it-clear-that-american-foreign-policy-must/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [I never saw anything that would qualify as a criminal activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-bashir/i-never-saw-anything-that-would-qualify-as-a-criminal-activity/) [Martin Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-bashir/) > [I always said I wasn't guilty of any criminal activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-espy/i-always-said-i-wasn-t-guilty-of-any-criminal-activity/) [Mike Espy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-espy/) > [“It wasn’t that they participated in criminal activity. It was that their activities could be construed as criminal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/it-wasn-t-that-they-participated-in-criminal-activity-it-was-that/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [Professional wrestling is the first non-criminal activity that I truly, truly applied myself to and believed in and devoted myself to. Otherwise, everything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montel-vontavious-porter/professional-wrestling-is-the-first-non-criminal-activity-that-i/) [Montel Vontavious Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montel-vontavious-porter/) > [You don't hear anybody talking about what FBI is doing with the NSA collected data. That's because they're doing it in secret. I mean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-binney/you-don-t-hear-anybody-talking-about-what-fbi-is-doing-with-the-nsa/) [William Binney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-binney/) > [“Criminal activity does have its appeal. Otherwise there wouldn’t be so many criminals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/criminal-activity-does-have-its-appeal-otherwise-there-wouldn-t-be-so/) [J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/) > [The police should be focused on policing criminal activity, and that's sort of the beginning, the middle and the end of it for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-wheeler/the-police-should-be-focused-on-policing-criminal-activity-and-that-s/) [Ted Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-wheeler/) > [The memory of war weighs undiminished upon the people's minds. That is because deeper than material wounds, moral wounds are smarting, inflicted by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-schacht/the-memory-of-war-weighs-undiminished-upon-the-people-s-minds-that-is/) [Hjalmar Schacht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-schacht/) > [I pay tribute to John Major's achievement in persuading the other 11 Community Heads of Government that they could move ahead to a Social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-pay-tribute-to-john-major-s-achievement-in-persuading-the-other-11/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Treaties, agreements and organizations to help settle disputes may be necessary, but they often favor the interests of business over citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/treaties-agreements-and-organizations-to-help-settle-disputes-may-be/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [To attain peace among the nations in any dynamic or enduring form requires not simply political negotiation but a new mode of consciousness. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/to-attain-peace-among-the-nations-in-any-dynamic-or-enduring-form/) [Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/) > [History is a pathetic junkyard of broken treaties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/history-is-a-pathetic-junkyard-of-broken-treaties/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [There could be some compromise, but I think we have to stick to the provisions of the treaty, and the provisions of the treaty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-santer/there-could-be-some-compromise-but-i-think-we-have-to-stick-to-the/) [Jacques Santer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-santer/) ## More by Vint Cerf > [There needs to be some regime that is overseeing access to broadband to make sure we have openess; otherwise, there is a risk it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/there-needs-to-be-some-regime-that-is-overseeing-access-to-broadband/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [No matter what you do, any country in the world is going to have the ability to set its own rules internally. Any country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/no-matter-what-you-do-any-country-in-the-world-is-going-to-have-the/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [You should know that I've been hearing-impaired, not quite since birth, but I've been wearing hearing aids since I was 13, so I'm very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/you-should-know-that-i-ve-been-hearing-impaired-not-quite-since-birth/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [When I first joined Google in October of 2005, I was warned that I shouldn't be offended if people were doing their e-mails while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/when-i-first-joined-google-in-october-of-2005-i-was-warned-that-i/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [What would happen if our clothes were Internet-enabled? Can you imagine if you lost a sock? You could send out a search, and sock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/what-would-happen-if-our-clothes-were-internet-enabled-can-you/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [Like almost every major infrastructure, the Internet can be abused and its users harmed. We must, however, take great care that the cure for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/like-almost-every-major-infrastructure-the-internet-can-be-abused-and/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [The immediacy of the mobile changes it from what we're accustomed to in the personal computing world to something that's instantaneous... What's interesting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/the-immediacy-of-the-mobile-changes-it-from-what-we-re-accustomed-to/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [Internet and government is Topic A in every nation, all around the world. There is the question of getting the Internet built. That involves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/internet-and-government-is-topic-a-in-every-nation-all-around-the/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [It seems pretty clear that the Internet has an important economic role to play for China as it reaches out to the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/it-seems-pretty-clear-that-the-internet-has-an-important-economic/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [It doesn't matter if it's a wireless or wired network. I think network management can be introduced that is equally sensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/it-doesn-t-matter-if-it-s-a-wireless-or-wired-network-i-think-network/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [The net's future is far from assured, and history offers much warning. Within a few decades of Gutenberg's creation, princes and priests moved to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/the-net-s-future-is-far-from-assured-and-history-offers-much-warning/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [We've never lived in an environment in which it has been so easy to capture information and share it. That fact that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/we-ve-never-lived-in-an-environment-in-which-it-has-been-so-easy-to/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [Remember, 'governance' is a big word that includes human rights, freedom of speech, economic transactions on a worldwide basis - it touches everything. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/remember-governance-is-a-big-word-that-includes-human-rights-freedom/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [Google Apps for Education is a suite of applications intended to be helpful to higher level educational institutions, but in the long run, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/google-apps-for-education-is-a-suite-of-applications-intended-to-be/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [By 1988, I'm seeing this commercial phenomenon beginning to show up. Hardware makers are selling routers to universities so they can build up their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/by-1988-i-m-seeing-this-commercial-phenomenon-beginning-to-show-up/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) [Explore all 83 Vint Cerf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) ## More Activity quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Fighting's fun, man. It's a great activity, it's a great sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mitrione/fighting-s-fun-man-it-s-a-great-activity-it-s-a-great-sport/) [Matt Mitrione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mitrione/) > [There were books everywhere in my house. Books were very present. I just loved books. I never understood reading as anything but a pleasurable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lucas/there-were-books-everywhere-in-my-house-books-were-very-present-i/) [Lisa Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lucas/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [For the longest time, neuroscientists were forced to be passive observers of brain activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gero-miesenbock/for-the-longest-time-neuroscientists-were-forced-to-be-passive/) Gero Miesenbock > [Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/enjoyment-is-not-a-goal-it-is-a-feeling-that-accompanies-important/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Once an activity has been socialized, it is impossible to point out, by concrete example, how men in a free market could better conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/once-an-activity-has-been-socialized-it-is-impossible-to-point-out-by/) [Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/) > [“Fun is not an activity, it is a state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/fun-is-not-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I have to consider everything I eat; I consider every activity I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kimball/i-have-to-consider-everything-i-eat-i-consider-every-activity-i-do/) [Charlie Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kimball/) > [Almost all good businesses engage in 'pain today, gain tomorrow' activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/almost-all-good-businesses-engage-in-pain-today-gain-tomorrow/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) Browse all 3,263 Activity quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Internet is brittle and fragile and too easy to take down. It's a conduit for criminal activity. We need international treaties to prosecute the bad guys, but we don't have them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vint Cerf" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/the-internet-is-brittle-and-fragile-and-too-easy-to-take-down-it-s-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Activity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/the-internet-is-brittle-and-fragile-and-too-easy-to-take-down-it-s-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/vint-cerf-8158_activity_the-internet-is-brittle-and-fragile-and_1559870.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/vint-cerf-8158_activity_the-internet-is-brittle-and-fragile-and_1559870.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/vint-cerf-8158_activity_the-internet-is-brittle-and-fragile-and_1559870.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Internet is brittle and fragile and too easy to take down. It's a conduit for criminal activity. We need…” — Vint Cerf", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Vint Cerf", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Internet is brittle and fragile...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/the-internet-is-brittle-and-fragile-and-too-easy-to-take-down-it-s-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/the-internet-is-brittle-and-fragile-and-too-easy-to-take-down-it-s-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```