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Author Name: Alec Muffett
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Discussion with @runasand: “One Nation’s Cybermercinaries are another’s Ethical Hackers”, per the @UN

2021-11-09 00:57:53+00:00

Good point from @UN human rights experts on the use of mercenaries in cyberspace: "The use of private actors poses a particular challenge to accountability for abuses that occur through cyberspace, in particular across different jurisdictions." https://t.co/24sLCvR2rZ — Runa Sandvik (@runasand) November 8, 2021 https://twitter.com/runasand/status/1457736218809094144

Runa: Good point from @UN human rights experts on the use of mercenaries in cyberspace: “The use of private actors poses a particular challenge to accountability for abuses that occur through cyberspace, in particular across different jurisdictions.”

https://www.ohchr.org/SP/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=27729&LangID=E

Alec: White Hat Hackers: “Do they mean [me]?”

R: No.

A: Hard disagree. The fallacy of cyber is that states are the only people who hack other systems in any interesting way. #Cyberwar is a nonsense; cyber mercenaries doubly so; the attached propagates the “tail wags the dog” approach to “cyber”, harming public understanding overall.

R: So, I agree with your points here and I also think the quote from the UN is a good one.

A: Help me understand the “good” that you see?

R: I think it’s fair to say (and so a good point to make) that states haven’t figured out “what to do” about stuff that happens in cyberspace, be it by another state or a private actor. Lots of options, inc. sanctions and such, but not much informed debate so far. So, yes, it does pose a particular challenge and the solution to it must also address the point you raised.

A: Not to put too fine a point on it, this is exemplified in something like the “Snow Crash” dystopia, or in “sovereign identity” people (however rabid) who do at least have 1 point:

That point is: in a domain of speech like the Internet, shorn of physical military objectives like “high ground to hold & defend”, the “sovereignty” of nation states is matched by those of corporations or of sufficiently capable individuals.

Nation states don’t even hold a cybermonopoly on “kinetic” consequences (in the cyber terms of e.g. “switching off water supplies”) which breaks the traditional “monopoly on force” model of Government.

As such: any frame that still holds states as “special” except amongst themselves, is in severe need of exceptional justification.

One nation’s Cybermercinaries are another’s Ethical Hackers.

R: I completely agree.

A: And lo, somehow we started [towards this argument]

R: Yep, hence my comment later saying there hasn’t been much informed debate and your point is very valid. Do they mean you? Maybe. Should they? No.

off-thread, see also: Marcus Ranum
[END]

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