RUSI and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) hosted government officials, regional experts and researchers for a workshop addressing Indo-Pacific perspectives on responsible cyber behaviour at the Singapore International Cyber Week.
During the conference, the Institute convened a workshop on “Whose responsibility? Indo-Pacific Perspectives on Responsible State Behaviour (RCB) in Cyberspace.” Forming part of RUSI’s Global Partnership on Responsible Cyber Behaviour (GP-RCB), the aim of the workshop was to inform an Indo-Pacific regional perspective on how governments can demonstrate responsible behaviour in cyberspace, including sharing best practice and learnings.
The workshop also took place during an important week for countries in the region - with ASEAN member states announcing the launch of its Regional Computer Emergency Response Team and publishing a checklist of action points to ensure effective implementation of the 11 United Nations norms on responsible state behaviour.
Workshop attendees shared national perspectives and ongoing research on responsible cyber behaviour in the Indo-Pacific and reflected on key questions such as:
- What does it mean for a country to demonstrate responsible behaviour domestically
- How can national cyber capabilities be used responsibly?
The discussion drew on a diverse set of views, as well as cross-regional reflections on the topic. This included an opening keynote from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s incoming Cyber Director, Mr. Andrew Whittaker and a panel discussion with Hugh Watson (Australia’s Acting Cyber Director), Dr. Sameer Patil (GP-RCB Advisory Board and ORF Mumbai), Prof. Dongyoun Cho (UNIDIR). Subsequent discussions and breakout groups further informed RUSI’s work on understanding what guides and shapes the regional approach to promoting responsibility in cyberspace.
RUSI and ASPI are preparing an upcoming publication on Indo-Pacific perspectives on responsible cyber behaviour, including a series of country case studies. This work forms part of RUSI’s multi-year project aimed at mapping practical understandings of responsible cyber behaviour.
Reflecting on the workshop, RUSI’s Cyber Team RCB lead Louise Marie Hurel said:
Promoting the global adoption of responsible cyber behaviour requires an understanding of how different countries and regions perceive their specific responsibilities in the domain. Our GP-RCB workshop provided an important forum for bringing together regional stakeholders and holding a wide-ranging discussion on what should constitute a foundation of best practice across cyber behaviour.
Louise Marie Hurel
Research Fellow
About RUSI’s Cyber Research Group
RUSI’s Cyber research group takes a global approach to its research, examining UK and international strategic responses to cyber. The team leverages the broader experience of RUSI staff and Associate Fellows and has fostered a growing network of cyber experts from both the public and private sectors and academia.
Our research agenda is structured around the following themes: cyber strategy, cyber resilience, cyber threats and offensive cyber. The team pursues different aspects of these themes, depending upon policy priorities at any given time.
Current research projects examine the implementation of the UK’s 2022 National Cyber Strategy, offensive cyber operations, technology and national security in the context of the Net Zero environmental transition, cyber insurance and ransomware, responsible cyber power, and cyber capacity building.