Problem of International Information Security in the UN

Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have transformed society and the economy and expanded opportunities for international cooperation. However, the unique capabilities of ICTs are used not only for the common good of humanity. Today, we are talking about an accelerated increase in threats in the information and cyberspace. Many states consider them as additional, but often these are the main spaces for military-political confrontation. Thus, the issues of inadmissibility of application of ICTs with military and political purposes for realization of hostile actions and acts of aggression are critically urgent acute. For this reason, the task of ensuring international information security has become part of the agenda for one of the six main committees of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) – the First Committee, where states investigate threats to peace, seek for ways to promote global security and disarmament. Discussion on international information security issues within this Committee plays a crucial role and requires a deep analysis by the scientific and expert community. The article presents the results of this analysis, starting from 1998, when the problem of international information security was first discussed at the UN on the initiative of Russia. The study identifies and investigates the possibilities and prospects of implementing the main goal in the process of ensuring international information security: namely, the creation of an international legal regime to ban the development, production and use of information and cyber weapons. In addition, this paper includes the results of a study on the UN work and prospects for its success in maintaining international information security in a new format: within the framework of the Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) organized in 2019 at the suggestion of Russia, and the UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) proposed by the United States. The output of both groups is going to have a significant impact on information security trends and policies on a global scale. Therefore, a timely scientific analysis of the issue, current challenges and threats, as well as the forecast of trends and prospects for enhancing international information security, presented in the article, are currently among the most relevant tasks.