Book Review: Cyber mercenaries: The state, hackers, and power

• Published date: 01 September 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0734016820912303
• Author: Costantino Grasso
• Date: 01 September 2023
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

In the next section, Hoskins evaluates the justif‌ication of collateral legal consequences as civil

measures. He asserts in this section that a general case should be made against the justif‌ication of

collateral legal consequences as civil measures. Hoskins argues that we should treat offenders

who f‌inish their punishment as having paid their debt to society and therefore should not be subjected

to additional burdensome measures. Instrumental and noninstrumental arguments for the use of col-

lateral legal consequences as civil measures are then discussed. According to Hoskins, noninstru-

mental arguments, that collateral legal consequences are appropriate responses to criminal

wrongdoing, are not persuasive as they do not provide adequate justif‌ication for why they are intrin-

sically appropriate. As for instrumental arguments (i.e., risk-reductive measures), Hoskins concludes

that some measures may be justif‌ied with this argument, so long as they meet the criteria that they

serve a morally compelling interest, they represent the least burdensome alternative, and they do

not result in offsetting negative consequences.

The last section of the book examines the practical implications of the existence of collateral legal

consequences. Hoskins f‌irst begins by arguing that the use of burdensome legal measures necessities

the informing of defendants of the collateral legal consequences they are subject to, before entering a

guilty plea. He argues that this burden should fall on prosecutors rather than defense attorneys. While

Hoskins provides a compelling argument for why defendants should be informed of the collateral

legal consequences they face, his position that this burden should fall on prosecutors is far less com-

pelling and leaves the reader questioning the practical implications of his proposition. He then con-

cludes by arguing that the existence of collateral legal consequences has implications for the issue of

criminalization and warrants greater philosophical consideration.

Beyond Punishment? A Normative Account of the Collateral Legal Consequences of Conviction is

a compelling analysis of the moral justif‌ications for collateral legal consequences. Hoskins provides a

critical examination of how collateral legal consequences should be evaluated and provides the

reader with the necessary philosophical guidebook to evaluate them. Hoskins does not provide

blanket statements for all collateral legal consequences and does not contend that all of these mea-

sures are unjustif‌ied, rather he provides the tools to critically assess individual burdensome legal

measures. Beyond Punishment? A Normative Account of the Collateral Legal Consequences of

Conviction is a must-read for those interested in policy reform, including academics, students, and

policy makers.

ORCID iD

Samantha Luna https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5607-4824

Maurer, T. (2018).

Cyber mercenaries: The state, hackers, and power. Cambridge University Press. 246 pp. $29.99, ISBN

9781107566866.

Reviewed by: Costantino Grasso ,Coventry University, United Kingdom

DOI: 10.1177/0734016820912303

The author of this book—Tim Maurer—is an expert on cybersecurity, tech policy, and geopolitics in

the digital age. He is the author of various publications in the area of cyber and digital policy, and his

articles have been published by mainstream media and in peer-reviewed academic journals.

Cyber Mercenaries is a fascinating book where the author makes a foray into the area of cyber

politics, an area that has not been investigated extensively so far. Specif‌ically, Maurer offers a

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