US, Russia and China refuse to back French cybersecurity initiative

Joseph Archer
Updated
French President Emmanuel Macron called for more nations to sign the pledge during the opening session of the Internet Governance Forum at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris - REUTERS
French President Emmanuel Macron called for more nations to sign the pledge during the opening session of the Internet Governance Forum at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris - REUTERS

The US, China and Russia have refused to endorse a French-backed agreement designed to regulate the Internet and bolster cyber security, despite the approval of 51 other countries including all members of the European Union. 

The Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace was launched by French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday and represents an attempt to set clear rules for the use of cyber-weapons.

At an event organised by UNESCO, the French leader set out his ambitions for stronger international regulation of the Internet and better cooperation on cyber-attacks, foreign meddling in elections, online censorship and hate speech. 

But the refusal of Washington DC, Moscow and Beijing to sign up to the agreement represents a serious blow for the initiative.

“The internet is a space currently managed by a technical community of private players. But it’s not governed. So now that half of humanity is online, we need to find new ways to organize the internet,” a French official said. “Otherwise, the internet as we know it today — free, open and secure — will be damaged by the new threats.”

President Macron said he planned to continue to pressure the US and others to sign the pledge. While the Trump administration is not currently supporting the initiative, US technology companies, such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft, are backing it.

Microsoft president Brad Smith on Monday raised concerns that cyber-weapons could have the potential to spark a mass conflict.

"In a world where everything is being connected, anything can be affected, which is why we need to come together," Mr Smith said at the Paris Peace Forum.

The initiative comes after negotiations at the United Nations over cyberspace regulation failed in 2017, due to resistance from a number of countries to setting rules for advanced weapon systems.

French President Emmanuel Macron - Credit: Ludovic Marin/Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron said he will continue to push for nations like the US to sign the pledge Credit: Ludovic Marin/Reuters

This most recent pledge by the fifty-one nations, that was also signed by 218 companies, states that technology businesses should be responsible for “improving trust, security and stability in cyberspace”.

Other “cooperative measures” that should take place include preventing “malicious cyber activities” and theft of trade secrets using hacking and software.  

It also aims to protect individuals' access to the internet and prevent the spread of malicious online software. 

The document says it will update its progress in advancing these measures at the Paris Peace Forum in 2019 and at the Internet Governance Forum in Berlin, also next year.