Responsible cyber behaviour (RCB) refers to the collective expectations of state and non-state actors about how they should behave in cyberspace. ‘Behaviour’ in this context comprises the values, norms, policies, practices and technologies that are meant to protect and secure cyberspace. These expectations are highly contested and vary across regions. Within cybersecurity debates – and specifically in the context of the UN’s Open-Ended Working Group on the security of and in cyberspace (OEWG) and Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) – ‘responsibility’ has often been associated with ‘responsible state behaviour’. Within this context, the term ‘responsible state behaviour’ mainly concerns the collective expectations of UN member states in meeting and observing their international commitments to norms and international law. The debate largely concentrates on how states should behave towards each other, rather than how they ought to act domestically. As these discussions are held at the UN First Committee responsible for international peace and security, dialogue on responsibility in cyberspace is restricted to those parameters. RUSI’s research, and this paper, takes a wider view, based on the premise that understanding RCB requires consideration of cultural values, regional alliances and domestic factors such as institutional or legislative setup. The objective of this paper is to provide a wider conceptual lens on RCB, looking beyond the UN debate and, to some degree, beyond Western perspectives. The paper investigates two areas: states’ perceptions of what international responsibility entails; and how other multilateral bodies and initiatives have sought to frame responsibility.
New Ways to Frame Responsible Cyber Behaviour Beyond the UN | Royal United Services Institute
