The Global Cyber Norms Debate

Brazil’s engagement with cyber norms unfolded against the backdrop of the global cyber norms debate, which became increasingly polarized between two “camps": the EU, the US, and like-minded states on one side and China, Russia, and like-minded states on the other. The divisive issues were the basic concepts of cybersecurity versus information security, whether rules for responsible state behavior with respect to ICTs should be codified in norms or in an international treaty, and broader status quo versus revisionist orientations. While there were limits to the polarization, it was reflected in norm proposals: For many years, no norm proposals crossed the line. This polarization provided fertile ground for Brazil’s norm bridge-building activities. More broadly, I show how the global cyber norms debate went through five phases: In the early years, Russia led the way by setting the issue on the global agenda. Subsequently, the global debate matured and saw significant progress across the divide. This was followed by a period of fragmentation, which culminated in a lack of consensus at the UN. Following this stalemate, non-state actors took matters into their own hands, temporarily replacing states as the primary formulators of cyber norm proposals. Eventually, the UN process regained momentum.