International cooperation efforts have increasingly focused on cybersecurity in Africa. Despite the diversity of these initiatives, Africa has yet to prioritise cybersecurity. Without coordination and accountability, divergent cybersecurity visions and models may instead derail Africa’s cybersecurity development. Africa, cooperation and cybersecurity In March 2022, the First African Cybersecurity Summit was held in Lomé, Togo. A core purpose of the Summit …
How China Promotes Cyber Sovereignty
China is a cyber norm entrepreneur, seeking a greater say in creating a global cyber order in line with its rise as a cyber power. China promotes ‘cyber sovereignty’ (wangluo zhuquan), which extends territorial sovereignty into human-created cyberspace as part of a ‘cyberspace shared future’. Financial incentives through ‘Digital Silk Road’ capacity building and coalition building in international institutions are …
Towards a data-driven EU Cyber Diplomacy
The EU and its member-states lack quantifiable data on cyber conflict that can guide EU Cyber diplomacy. But data is necessary to answer even basic questions like, whether cyber conflict is getting better or worse and does the EU cyber posture have the desired effect in reducing cyber operations or their damaging effects. A new European research project, the European …
Taiwan, China and Semiconductors
Rising tensions surrounding Taiwan in the wake of Nancy Pelosi’s visit have illuminated the island’s critical role in the global economy, thanks to its singular place in the semiconductor supply chain. Yet rather than increasing Beijing’s incentives to pull the trigger on an invasion of Taiwan, the global importance of TSMC and other Taiwanese semiconductor companies discourages it. Taiwan’s position …
Cybersecurity Cooperation in the Indian Ocean
Formal and informal regional organisations play an increasing role in shaping global debates about cybersecurity. Although countries in the Indo-Pacific region have varied levels of cyber maturity, they share similar cybersecurity challenges and needs. It is not surprising, therefore, that existing cooperation platforms – like the Colombo Security Conclave – increasingly also include a cybersecurity dimension. India’s role in this …
Getting the (Digital) Indo-Pacific Economic Framework Right
On the eve of the Tokyo Quad Summit in May 2022, President Biden unveiled the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), visualising cooperation across the Indo-Pacific based on four pillars: trade; supply chains; clean energy, decarbonisation and infrastructure; and tax and anti-corruption. Galvanised by the US, the other 13 founding members of the IPEF are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic …
Strategies for Cyber Diplomacy Capacity Building
Strengthening global capacities to address the challenges in the field of cyber diplomacy has lately attracted the attention of the cyber capacity building community. Even though the scope and size of such projects remains underreported, the number of institutions and organisations funding, implementing and receiving support for such projects is growing. But how can we ensure that the burgeoning field …
Satellite Internet Access in Times of Cyber Conflict
On 26 February 2022, two days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Elon Musk, SpaceX founder and CEO, responded to a request from the Ukrainian deputy prime minister, confirming on Twitter that Starlink satellite internet service is active in Ukraine. A technology that had thus far been considered an experimental alternative to undersea and on-the-ground telecommunication services suddenly became the …
The Curious Absence of Chinese Cyber Deterrence
While China’s political and academic discourse on cybersecurity uses many of the same concepts as other countries’, the notion of deterrence is largely missing from its vocabulary. This can be explained by China’s relative vulnerability to cyberattacks: deterrence through denial lacks credibility and deterrence through punishment would be counter-productive. China has chosen instead to promote an international convention on interstate …
Microtargeted Propaganda by Foreign Actors
Microtargeting involves collecting information about people and using that information to show them targeted political advertisements. Such microtargeting enables advertisers to tailor ads to specific groups of people, for instance people who visit certain websites or share specific characteristics. Microtargeted propaganda can be more effective, more efficient and more hidden than traditional propaganda. Consequently, its use, especially by foreign actors, …