Ensuring cybersecurity through international law

• Author: Kettemann, M. C.
• Pages: 281-289

REDI, vol. 69 (2017), 2

II. FORO

ENSURING CYBERSECURITY THROUGH

INTERNATIONAL LAW

Matthias C. KETTEMANN*

SUMMARY: 1. INTRODUCTION.—2. TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE CONCEPT OF CY-

BERSECURITY.—2.1. Cybersecurity: between security and freedom.—2.2. Cybersecurity

lies in the common interest of all states.—3. CYBERSECURITY IN INTERNATIONAL

LAW.—3.1. International law and the Internet.—3.2. Cybersecurity in international treaty

law.—3.3. Cybersecurity and customary international law.—3.4. In particular: preventive

customary obligations.—4. CONCLUSIONS.

1. INTRODUCTION

1. Be in online or off‌line, be it in the kinetic world or in cyberspace: we

need norms —and have always needed them—. «In the long march of man-

kind from the cave to the computer», as Malcolm N. Shaw puts it in his in-

troduction to international law, «a central role has always been played by the

idea of law —that order is necessary and chaos inimical to a just and stable

existence—» 1.

2. This contribution examines the protection of cybersecurity under in-

ternational law and develops a future-oriented approach to increasing cyber-

security through international law 2. After outlining my concept of cybersecu-

rity and explaining why protecting cybersecurity lies in the common interest

of all states (2), I will outline which international legal norms protect cyber-

security (3). The conclusions (4) include perspectives on how to better protect

cybersecurity in international law.

* Post-doc fellow at the Cluster of Excellence «The Formation of Normative Orders», University

Frankfurt am Main, and co-chair of its Research Focus «Internet and Society» (matthias.kettemann@

normativeorders.net). All referenced web pages were last consulted on May 31, 2017.

1 SHAW, M. N., International Law, Oxford, 6th ed., Oxford University Press, 2008, p. 1.

2 The contribution draws on a study conducted by the author for the Deutsche Telekom.

Revista Española de Derecho Internacional

Sección FORO

Vol. 69/2, julio-diciembre 2017, Madrid, pp. 281-289

http://dx.doi.org/10.17103/redi.69.2.2017.2.01

© 2017 Asociación de Profesores

de Derecho Internacional

y Relaciones Internacionales

ISSN: 0034-9380; E-ISSN: 2387-1253

Coordinación a cargo de

Luis HINOJOSA, Manuel DESANTES

y José Luis DE CASTRO