Cyberweapons Control Act
Proposed by the Greater Cesnican Honorary Representation to the General Assembly.
Category: International Security | Strength: Significant
Noting with no uncertainty that usage in the past decade of cyberweapons and cyberwarfare tactics have opened up a new arena of conflict in the annals of warfare.
Applauding this esteemed Assembly for successfully passing GAR #378, 'Digital Network Defense', a legislative framework that established basic responsibilities for member states to criminalize and curb criminal and terrorist acts conducted using access to a digital device and access to the internet.
Perturbed however by the current lack of legislation within the General Assembly governing the use of such tactics and actions by state-sponsored or government actors.
Aware of the potential threat posed by electronic warfare devices on a nation's infrastructure, economic system, industrial capability, and defense systems.
Realizing that in a changing society and world, the usage of warfare techniques applied using electronic devices reduces by a certain degree the numbers of casualties that a conflict waged via conventional warfare techniques such as bombing campaigns or ground assaults would incur.
Cognizant of the applications electronic warfare techniques deliver in times of war to a nation's armed forces and allies, and their utilization in strikes on enemy assets with limited collateral damage.
Therefore acknowledging that in order to facilitate a global understanding of the scope of this specialized type of weaponry, a universally binding legislative framework must be established to regulate the use of such electronic tactics.
Hereby defines the usage of electronic devices that cause significant negative political, economic, industrial, or physical damage to another sovereign state an act of warfare, to be referred to as Cyberwarfare.
Establishes these electronic devices or tools as Cyberweapons, to be designated and treated alongside conventional arms and weaponry as:
- I. A means of causing significant electronic or physical damage that would warrant a proportional diplomatic or military response.
II. Weaponry to be treated with the same discretion and caution as the usage of conventional warfare technique would warrant.
III. A warfare technique which shall be held to the same accountability as other warfare tactics.
Designates further the legally binding definitions of the term Cyberwarfare as:
- I. A warfare technique utilizing and relying on the class of weaponry defined under Clause I as cyberweapons.
II. A method of warfare which, using cyberweapons, causes significant economic, industrial, political, or physical damage to the target entity.
III. A warfare tactic that is intended to detriment the target entity in such a manner as to cause damage beyond the intelligence or information-sphere entities of the target entity.
Distinguishes the actions and methods of Cyberwarfare and Espionage under several differing characteristics:
- I. The action of Cyberwarfare significantly differs from the tactics employed via the action of Espionage, as the former state-sponsored technique strives to cause quantifiable damage detrimental to the immediate safety and stability of the target sovereign state, while the latter technique is designed to gather information or knowledge via illicit state-sponsored surveillance or spying.
II. Cyberwarfare is a technique carried out exclusively via electronic warfare devices, or cyberweapons as designated in Clause I and Clause II, in contrast to Espionage, which may be carried out via existing electronic surveillance programs or physical placements of spies and diplomatic infiltrations.
III. Espionage operations are restricted to the information-sphere and intelligence entities and environments of the target state, whereas Cyberwarfare operations are spread out across multiple mediums of targets, with both the government and the private economic and industrial complexes of the target state potential subjects for the operations.
Urges member states to establish a military-operated centre of command from which to launch cyberattacks against target entities, defend from enemy cyberarracks, and regulate the storage and safety of cyberweapons in a manner which shall be governed by the present unified military and defense command of the aforementioned member state.
Prohibits the usage of cyberwarfare and cyberweapons exclusively against protected entities, such as hospitals, evacuation centers, internationally recognized encampments such as refugee camps and other institutions of the such.
Declares the usage of cyberweapons and cyberwarfare against the protected targets designated in the previous clause as war crime offenses to be investigated and prosecuted by existing organizations and courts protecting and upholding civilian and humanitarian rights in times of warfare.
Assured by this resolution's scope and it's validity, hereby enacts the Cyberweapons Control Act into legislative power.
