Dispute along cold war lines led to collapse of UN cyberwarfare talks
by Owen Bowcott Legal affairs correspondent from Technology | The Guardian on (#3010Q)
Thirteen years of negotiations came to an abrupt end in June, it has emerged, because of a row over the right to self-defence in the face of attacks
Thirteen years of negotiations at the United Nations aimed at restricting cyberwarfare collapsed in June, it has emerged, due to an acrimonious dispute that pitted Russia, China and Cuba against western countries.
The split among legal and military experts at the UN, along old cold war lines, has reinforced distrust at a time of mounting diplomatic tension over cyber-attacks, such as the 2016 hacking of the US Democratic National Committee's (DNC) computers. That break-in was allegedly coordinated by Russian intelligence and intended to assist Donald Trump's presidential campaign.