Anarchy

In our fourth scenario, nations are unable or unwilling to regulate the Internet. Anarchy rules the day for the denizens of cyber space. Without a strong enforcing government to arrest persons physical bodies, the people of cyber space enforce a law of the frontier on deviant's on-line avatars. Public minded hackers band together to help sysops and users increase their personal on-line security and sometimes met out vigilante justice to "criminals." For hire detective firms snoop out intruders of computers whose owners are willing to pay and also met out justice as "hit men."

Every once in a while a criminal finds a flaw in security and hijacks vital, sensitive data. Sometimes they are even successful in obtaining ransom for stolen information or blocked data channels and they sometimes successfully blackmail people. Criminal's are rarely arrested, but often stopped.