Emerging technologies and problem definition uncertainty: The case of cybersecurity

Abstract

For governments to regulate, they must first define the problem and decide which policymakers have the authority to make decisions. Technological development can disrupt the authority-allocation process by fostering uncertainty about which actors are responsible for making policy. This article examines the role that changing technology has played in the development of cybersecurity policy in the United States. New technologies have increased the type and scope of assets vulnerable to cyberthreats, and with them the number of governing units who can claim jurisdiction over cybersecurity-related issues. Uncertainty about the nature of the problem has led the U.S. Congress to rely heavily on bureaucratic witnesses and focus on how existing regulations can be brought to bear. Emerging technologies create regulatory challenges for governance not only through unforeseen consequences but through uncertainty over who can regulate. Fragmented authority can produce piecemeal responses and a reliance on existing frameworks that benefit regulated industries.

Governance landscapes for emerging technologies: The case of cryptocurrencies

“…(2017) see Mandel's adaptive governance as a key new way of thinking about the balance between innovation and risk mitigation. This also compliments other contributions to this special issue, including Lewallen's (2021) examination of the shifting role of sector actors in the evolution an industry's regulatory environment.…”

“…In terms of practical importance, we note that this call for adaptive governance has garnered substantial attention in the science and technology studies community; for instance, in their empirical work on metal additive manufacturing, Bonnín Roca et al (2017) see Mandel's adaptive governance as a key new way of thinking about the balance between innovation and risk mitigation. This also compliments other contributions to this special issue, including Lewallen's (2021) examination of the shifting role of sector actors in the evolution an industry's regulatory environment.…”

“…Risk (both real and perceived) comes from their complexity and accompanying uncertainty, increasing polarization among affected interests (e.g. Paddock 2006;Abbott et al 2007;Kahan et al 2007;Mandel et al 2008;Mandel 2009;Lewallen 2021). Mandel (2009) emphasizes the coevolution of the new technology and the social structures in place to oversee and shape it: the "point of first governance [is] earlier in a technology's development," leading "a more proactive, flexible" process (Mandel 2009, p. 75).…”

Assessing the regulatory challenges of emerging disruptive technologies

“…5.1.1. Spillovers and boundary issues "Emerging Technologies and Problem Definition Uncertainty: The Case of Cybersecurity" by Lewallen (2021) examines how regulatory issues in disruptive technology sectors expand and change as they cross over existing sectoral boundaries. The article focuses on boundary spanning problems using historical data from the US Congress to examine how regulatory authority has been allocated and re-allocated in the cybersecurity area as its impact and challenges have come to be better understood.…”

Cybersecurity capabilities for critical infrastructure resilience

“…This is of great concern for CI operators as cyber-attacks, in particular ransomware, have become increasingly prevalent since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the lack of agreement on how to define cybersecurity is acknowledged (Lewallen, 2020), in this paper cybersecurity refers to all the practices embodied in enterprise IT security, information security, and ICS cybersecurity (Dedeke and Masterson, 2019; Campbell, 2016; Greiman, 2015). It is about the protection of cyberspace, including any associated and connected assets (Ponemon Institute, 2016) through the governance, management and deployment of enterprise IT and ICS cybersecurity strategies, tools and techniques, processes and procedures (Azmi et al , 2018; Le and Hoang, 2016; Weiss et al , 2013).…”