Cyber-diplomacy Web Discussion: Cyber-armament: A heavy impact on peace, economic development, and human rights

Summary

DiploFoundation is pleased to invite you to the web discussion: Cyber-armament: A heavy impact on peace, economic development, and human rights. This webinar is the first in a series of cyber-diplomacy web discussions, organised by DiploFoundation with the support of Microsoft. The series will focus on risks for international peace and security stemming from cyberspace, and host a number of distinguished international discussants.

As cyberspace increasingly gets (mis)used by states for military purposes, international negotiations on rules of behaviour in cyberspace evolve, in particular within the UN context. DiploFoundation, with the support of Microsoft, is organising a series of cyber-diplomacy web discussions which aim to map trends, introduce challenges, clarify open issues on the negotiation table, outline processes where discussions are happening, and explain how all of us can get involved.

The Cyber-armament: A heavy impact on peace, economic development, and human rights web discussion will look into the development trends of states’ offensive cyber capabilities, and the potential consequences of the growing number, sophistication, and power of cyber-attacks conducted against countries and critical components of societies.

Tuesday, 22th October 2019, 12:00 UTC (14:00 CEST)

Discussants:

• Chris Painter, Commissioner of the Global Commission on Stability of Cyberspace, and former Co-ordinator for Cyber Issues at the U.S. State Department
• Oleg Demidov, Cyber Researcher at UNIDIR

Host and moderator:

• Vladimir Radunovic, Cybersecurity and E-diplomacy Programmes Director, DiploFoundation

Possible issues for discussion include:

Is there such a thing as ‘cyber-armament’? Are there ‘cyber-weapons’, and what are ‘offensive cyber-capabilities’ (OCC)? Are such capabilities part of hybrid warfare, and how are they used, particularly in peace-time? What are the possible consequences on economy and business, human rights, development (particularly developing countries), and international peace and security? What are the various international fora where such issues are discussed – from multilateral fora such as the UN and Wassenaar Arrangement, to multistakeholder fora such as the Paris Call? How to get involved and make an impact?

This webinar is the first in a series of cyber-diplomacy web discussions which will consist of four hour-long webinars, running from October to December 2019. Each debate will involve recognised international experts in the field, and a senior fellow of DiploFoundation as the moderator. Thematic focus of the web discussions will be on pertinent issues related to ongoing global negotiations about responsible behaviour in cyberspace: trends and impacts of cyber-armament, applicability of international law to cyberspace, challenges of traceability and attribution of cyber-attack, and perspectives and applicability of norms and confidence building measures. To make the webinars ‘actionable’ and help participants get involved, the webinars will discuss open issues, effects on security, human rights and economic development, and review existing processes and avenues of contributions by various actors.

Tentative timeline for the entire series:

• 22 October 2019: Cyber-armament: A heavy impact on peace, economic development, and human rights
• 7 November 2019: Applicability of international law to cyberspace: Do we know the rules of the road?
• 11 November 2019: Traceability and attribution of cyber-attacks: How confidently can we point a finger?
• 21 November 2019: Norms and confidence building measures (CBMs): Are we there yet?

For background information about the context, and the open and controversial issues discussed in the main negotiation tracks – the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security (UN GGE) and the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) – visit the dedicated Digital Watch page.