BENGALURU: Despite international laws and regulations, sovereignty in cyberspace remains a grey area. During a discussion on ‘Demystifying Sovereignty in Cyberspace,’ organised by the Synergia Foundation in partnership with Cisco on Friday, the panelists spoke on how countries are using Internet tools to define and protect their sovereignty in cyber space and the flawed laws on cyber crime. Synergia Foundation is a Bengaluru-based strategic think tank.
The speakers looked to deconstruct the concepts of national security, sovereignty, and the growing digital influence in warfare in relation to cyberspace. Lt Gen Rajesh Pant, National Cybersecurity Coordinator, National Security Council of India, said that the concept of sovereignty should include cyber space. “There’s a method that cyber space can be defined,” he added, while stressing on the importance of data safety.
Aaron Shull, chief executive officer, Centre for International Governance Innovation, Canada, said that “although there is an international consensus that we do not go after each other’s critical infrastructure, that consensus is often breached. When force is used, states take advantage of ambiguity because of operational capacity,” he said while adding that the realm in cyber space is important to maintaining a safe global cyber environment.
Latha Reddy, former deputy National Security Adviser, spoke about digital colonialism and the dichotomy between the US and China in their use of cyber space. The former uses it to improve trade and market, the latter uses it for national security. Speaking about the international regulations, Latha mentioned about the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts (UNGGE) on advancing responsible state behaviour in cyberspace and their last meeting in 2021. “After 20 years, the UNGGE came out with a set of 11 norms of responsible behaviour in cyber space, but they were not binding,” she said.
Lt Gen R S Panwar (retd), former commandant of Military College of Telecom Engineering, highlighted the increasing attacks in and through the cyber space and discussed how it is becoming more important in the five-dimensional battlespace.