Cyberspace trust and security: France strenghten its commitment

From the 12th to the 14th November the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) annual meeting took place in Paris. On the theme of Internet of Trust, this meeting gathered various attendees from different nationalities and with different backgrounds. It was an opportunity for France to present its commitment and vision for a secured and stable cyberspace. The Agence Nationale de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information (ANSSI) shares and develops this vision in its cyberdefense strategy, on both national and international side.

Publish the 14 November 2018 Updated 14 November 2018

In cyberspace, some actions, even if restricted, can cause damages on a large scale. Facing growing threats, the cooperation between private, public sector and the civil society must be strenghtened.
To this aim, national and international regulation must define the responsibility of each actors in order to ensure the stability of cyberspace.

France supported this vision this week during the Paris Digital Week through two main events:

A French vision to reinforce the stability of cyberspace

The Agence Nationale de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information (ANSSI) promotes the development of an open, safe and stable cyberspace. On the international scene, ANSSI is actively participating both at political and normative level.

“Hack back”, “gray zone”, “active cyber defense”, “passive cyber defense”, etc. The multiplicity of this terminology, but also the ambiguity of these concepts prevent most actors from clearly understanding the underlying challenges they trigger. It is paramount for all stakeholders, in order to exchange properly, to discuss with a shared and immediately comprehensible terms. This could be achieved through a categorization of the actions discussed and a refocusing of the debate on the risk they imply.
In order for Cyberspace to remain an area of opportunity for States, citizens and companies, the regulations should evolve via standards and rules internationally shared, based on international laws, in accordance with the principles of freedom and human rights.

The Paris call for cyberspace trust and security, launched by President on Monday, November 12th 2018, during the Internet Governance Forum meets these concerns.
This call reinforces the international cooperation and invites states, private sector and civil society to commit for a more stable cyberspace. France will develop this ambition through OECD’s Global Forum, which will take place on 13th and 14th December 2018.

A collective commitment for the stability of cyberspace

For many years, the stability of cyberspace has become a priority for France who try to share this preoccupation on an international level.
In its Strategic review for cyber defense, published on 12 February 2018, France makes a cyber threats overview, expresses many proposals to improve the cyber defense and cyber security of the French society. Particularly, the review puts forward the need to prevent private actors from conducting offensive cyber operations, and more specifically as a retaliation – from hacking back.

In April 2017, the Secretary General for Defense and National Security and The Agence Nationale de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information (ANSSI) organized a meeting dedicated to build peace and international security of the digital society (« Construire la paix et la sécurité internationales de la société numérique »). This meeting gathered many actors with various backgrounds in order to share academic thoughts for the preservation of peace and international security in the cyberspace.

With the Paris Digital Week, France pursues its path and wishes to generate adequate conditions for dialogue and collaboration among all interested parties involved in the stability of cyberspace.
It is paramount for such a shared responsibility to unit us through a collective commitment.