Russia and US Submit Joint Resolution on Cybersecurity to UN

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Russia and the United States have submitted to the United Nations General Assembly a joint resolution on responsible state conduct in cyberspace.

According to Kommersant, the paper is unexpected considering the two nations’ long-standing rivalry and having supported competing cybersecurity negotiating structures at the UN.

Moscow and Washington believe that combining efforts will hasten the process of developing voluntary standards for safe cyber activity. However, given the resolution’s wording, we may anticipate obligatory standards in the future.

The resolution emphasizes that all governments are interested in encouraging the peaceful usage of communication and information technology and avoiding conflicts that may emerge as a result of its usage.

The principles in the resolution are norms for responsible state activity in cyberspace. Nonetheless, it is emphasized that more regulations may be established over time, and that enforceable agreements can be made if required. The text is especially concerned with possible hostile actions against vital infrastructure installations that use information and communication technology.

According to Kommersant, the weakness of these regulations comes from their voluntary character. Russia proposed making them legally binding, but the United States rejected this idea. Washington claims that developing a legally binding worldwide agreement would take many years and that it may already be out of date owing to fast technological development.