The role of international law towards responsible state behavior in cyberspace with emphasis on challenges and perspectives

This paper examines the role of international law towards responsible state behavior in cyberspace with emphasis on challenges and perspectives. It also seeks to provide a framework based on rules to legitimize the actions of states in response to unlawful activity in cyberspace by other states. In addition, this paper seeks to emphasize the challenges involved in the application of international law, and examines this issue by applying the two principles of sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

This article is written analytically-descriptively.

While acknowledging these challenges, if the UN parallel processes in the form of “The Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG)” and “The United Nations Group of Governmental Experts (UN GGE)” do not result in substantial agreement between states on debates of international law, the debates in themselves are valuable in encouraging states to deliberate on these issues and to make their views public. By publicizing their views, states add momentum to the journey towards cyber-specific understandings of international law, and there are positive prospects in this regard.