On November 24, the National Association for International Information Security (NAIIS) held a hybrid-format seminar, “The practical application of the rules of responsible state behavior in the ICT environment.” Employees of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ took part in the seminar.
NAIIS President Vladislav Sherstyuk noted in his opening remarks, “The outgoing year of 2021 was marked by many important, you might say, ‘breakthrough’ events concerning the development of the international information security system and the participation of the Russian Federation in this process. In March 2021, the Russian Security Council held a meeting, at which participants discussed the problem of ensuring international information security for the first time. In April 2021, President Vladimir Putin approved the revised Basic Principles of the Russian Federation State Policy on International Information Security.
Mr. Sherstyuk also spoke about the positive changes on international platforms: “In October 2021, the UN First Committee decided by consensus to unite two universal platforms for discussing international information security issues – the Group of Governmental Experts and the Open-Ended Working Group. This will undoubtedly help increase the effectiveness of countering existing and potential threats to international security in the ICT environment.
The Group of Governmental Experts’ Report on Advancing Responsible State Behavior in Cyberspace in the Context of International Security, adopted by consensus in June 2021, marked the start of the process to create a framework of political measures aimed at transforming the rules of responsible state behavior in the ICT environment, in essence, into a system of “soft” international law.
In our opinion, the parallel existence of norms of responsible state behavior in the ICT environment and international law in the Group’s Report reflects the government experts’ understanding of the ICT environment as a new space for international cooperation, significantly different from traditional spaces. All this allows us to speak about positive dynamics in the field of creating an international information security system.”
The seminar participants agreed that the existing mechanism of applying international law to relations in the ICT environment results in greater tension in the world, as well as a lower level of international security. Therefore, the application of the rules of responsible state behavior is becoming an important avenue for improving the system of international normative regulation of relations in the ICT environment.
