Cybersecurity, Data Privacy & Information Operations International Policy Unit

Mission & Operational Scope

Building the Legal Architecture for a Contested Digital Domain

Cyberspace has become the fifth domain of conflict, and states are engaged in continuous low-level cyber operations against each other's critical infrastructure, government systems, and private sector networks. The absence of agreed international norms for state behavior in cyberspace — what constitutes an act of war, what targets are off-limits, what attribution standards apply — creates escalation risks and enables the most aggressive actors to operate with impunity. Data privacy has become a geopolitical issue as states use data localization requirements, surveillance mandates, and cross-border data transfer restrictions as instruments of economic and political competition. The fragmentation of the global internet into incompatible regulatory regimes threatens the open, interoperable network that has driven global economic growth.

This unit develops the international frameworks that govern cyberspace — building the norms, standards, and enforcement mechanisms that reduce cyber conflict risk and protect digital rights globally.

Governing Doctrine

Frameworks & Standards

• UN GGE/OEWGUN Group of Governmental Experts and Open-Ended Working Group — international frameworks establishing norms for responsible state behavior in cyberspace
• Budapest ConventionCouncil of Europe Convention on Cybercrime — international framework for harmonizing cybercrime laws and enabling cross-border law enforcement cooperation
• GDPR FrameworkEU General Data Protection Regulation — model international framework for data protection rights, cross-border data transfer standards, and privacy enforcement
• NIST CSFNIST Cybersecurity Framework — international reference standard for critical infrastructure cybersecurity risk management and resilience planning