Is Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace Achievable?

There have been a series of developments with regards to state behaviour in cyberspace in recent months aimed at either responding to previous malicious actions or preempting new ones – or both. In October, the coordinated attribution to the Russian military intelligence by the UK, the Netherlands, the United States, and others of several cyber-attacks around the world, represented a turning point in how countries respond to threats in cyberspace. While attribution remains a sovereign political decision and should be established in accordance with international law, there is a clear consensus between like-minded states that malicious cyber activities need to be brought to light, coupled with other tailored measures, which would alter the perpetrating state’s risk-calculation.

On the cyber diplomacy level, the French president has recently launched the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace. It has been supported by 370 states, companies and civil society entities so far. The Global Commission on Cyberspace (GCSC) has also recently released its cyber Norm Package which aims at promoting stability in cyberspace and build peace and prosperity. Furthermore, at the UN level, two competing resolutions led by the US and Russia, aimed at shaping norm-setting and ensuring responsible conduct in cyberspace, have also been approved.

Amidst these several initiatives and the diverging views on how cyberspace should be governed, this panel will discuss how the aspired deterring impact in cyberspace can be achieved? How can the discussion in cyberspace move to implementation? What role can the private sector and other stakeholders play? And who should lead the charge?

This event was organized in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in London.