US Vice President Kamala Harris said the US will be joining the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace — a voluntary agreement between more than 80 countries, local governments and tech companies centered on advancing cybersecurity and “preserving the open, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet.”
The announcement was part of a diplomatic trip Harris made to Paris, where she met with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss a range of issues.
Macron spearheaded the creation of the initiative in 2018 and has long sought the inclusion of the US. But the administration of former President Donald Trump refused to join, criticizing it because both China and Russia also were not part of it.
In a statement, The White House said the US “looks forward to continued partnership with France and other governments, private sector, and civil society around the world to advance and promote norms of responsible behavior in cyberspace.”
“This includes working with likeminded countries to attribute and hold accountable States that engage in destructive, disruptive, and destabilizing cyber activity. The United States’ decision to support the Paris Call reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s priority to renew and strengthen America’s engagement with the international community on cyber issues,” The White House explained.
“The United States interprets the Paris Call consistent with our existing domestic and international obligations and commitments, including the importance we place on respecting human rights, freedom of expression and privacy. This announcement builds on the United States’ continuing work to improve cybersecurity for our citizens and business, including rallying G7 countries to hold accountable nations that harbor cyber criminals, supporting the update of NATO cyber policy for the first time in seven years, and the recent counter-ransomware engagement with over 30 countries around the world to accelerate international cooperation to combat cybercrime.”
The Paris Call is made up of nine principles, which include protecting individuals and infrastructure, protecting the internet, defending electoral processes, defending intellectual property, the non-proliferation of malicious software, lifecycle security, cyber hygiene, banning private actors from “hacking back,” and implementing international norms “of responsible behavior.”
The effort has already led to some changes across Europe and South America that allowed for tougher cybersecurity measures around emergency phone systems, the protection of domain name systems, more prominent bug bounty programs and more.
Before Harris left for Paris, two senior leaders in Congress — Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Robert Menendez and House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Greg Meeks — wrote a letter to her urging for the US to join the Paris Call.
“Given the recent surge of ransomware and other cyberattacks against the United States and our partners and allies, the Forum’s work on cybersecurity is essential. Cybersecurity is a critical economic and national security imperative, and confronting this challenge will require comprehensive and sustained US engagement with a wide range of stakeholders,” the two wrote.
“In particular, private-sector companies play an increasingly significant role, including through the Paris Peace Forum and its Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace. We welcome your commitment to engage with our allies and partners, private-sector companies, and other important stakeholders at the Paris Peace Forum.”
