'Restating the Law "As It Is"': On the Tallinn Manual and the Use of Force in Cyberspace

The recently published ‘Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare’ arguably constitutes the concluding piece of a debate on the (in)applicability of the prohibition on the use of force in cyberspace. It acknowledges a framework developed by Michael Schmitt, who suggested the use of particular criteria to assess whether force has been used. This article concludes that the foundations for the suggested solutions are unsure and that, contrary to the Manual’s stated goal, it adds to the existing ambiguity rather than clarifies the law on cyberattacks

The Internet information infrastructure: Terrorist tool or architecture for information defense?

The Internet is a culmination of information age technologies and an agent of change. As with any infrastructure, dependency upon the so-called global information infrastructure creates vulnerabilities. Moreover, unlike physical infrastructures, the Internet is a multi-use technology. While information technologies, such as the Internet, can be utilized as a tool of terror, these same technologies can facilitate the implementation of solutions to mitigate the threat. In this vein, this paper analyzes the multifaceted nature of the Internet information infrastructure and argues that policymakers should concentrate on the solutions it provides rather than the vulnerabilities it creates. Minimizing risks and realizing possibilities in the information age will require institutional activities that translate, exploit and convert information technologies into positive solutions. What follows is a discussion of the Internet information infrastructure as it relates to increasing vulnerabilities and positive potential. The following four applications of the Internet will be addressed: as the infrastructure for information competence; as a terrorist tool; as the terrorist`s target; and as an architecture for rapid response