News item | 20-09-2023 | 13:07
The Dutch government recently launched it cyber strategy for the period 2023-2028. The goal of that strategy? Keeping the internet open, free and safe, also in the future. A Cyber Ambassador works on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BZ) to achieve this every day. For the past three years, that role has been filled by Nathalie Jaarsma, who passed the baton to Ernst Noorman this summer. Together they explain how BZ deals with an increasingly digital society.
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Disinformation, the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and cybercrime. These are challenges that BZ must face just like everyone else. Serious steps have been taken in this regard in recent years. Nathalie says: ‘In 2015 we started with a so-called cyber task force. Because we saw at the time that cyber was also becoming increasingly important in the diplomatic domain, we organized an international cyber conference that year, and in addition there was a lot going on in this area within the United Nations (UN). We noticed that there was a need for cyber diplomacy.’
International framework
That need quickly translated into a strategy, she continues. ‘BZ took up the challenge on behalf of the Netherlands when it came to international agreements on responsible state behavior. That is to say: creating a framework for what is acceptable – and unacceptable – digital behavior based on international law.’ Recording those agreements under the flag of the UN was certainly not a hammer job, Nathalie remembers. ‘Make no mistake, it is not often that international regulations are widely supported. Let alone reach worldwide agreement on this. But in the field of cyber this has been successful. The Netherlands has been an important player in the realization of these agreements, not least because of the role that BZ has played.’
Results
Our country has already achieved greater results in the field of cyber. Nathalie sums up: ‘We have it Global Forum on Cyber Expertise set up. This is the only organization in the world that brings together supply and demand in the field of cyber security in relation to government tasks. In addition, BZ is one of the founders of the Freedom Online Coalition, an organization committed to a free and open internet.’ She continues: ‘Also it Women in Cyber Fellowship, which supports female government representatives from UN member states in their participation in cyber negotiations, would not have been created without the initiative of a small group of countries, including the Netherlands. This has brought more countries to the table and made the subject of cyber an important part of our feminist foreign policy. Finally, we have played a pioneering role in developing diplomatic tools to address malicious actors in the cyber domain. In this way we have made an important contribution to the EU cyber diplomacy toolbox and the EU cyber sanctions regime.”
She is also particularly pleased with the digital support that Ukraine has received since the Russian invasion of the country. Nathalie: ‘Ukraine has remained online! In the news you often hear and see the military support we provide there, but we also support them in the field of cyber resilience, together with other countries and – very importantly – the private sector.’
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Challenges
Despite these positive developments, Ernst Noorman will face significant challenges in his new role as cyber ambassador in the coming years. He says: ‘Keeping the internet open, free and safe will not be easy in the coming years. Geopolitical shifts are underway, and some countries are moving toward keeping their own internets closed. The Netherlands wants to prevent that as much as possible.’ He continues: ‘Don’t forget that digital tools can be used in attempts to undermine public trust in democratic processes. Even the U.S. government has publicly reported seeing these kinds of attempts during their elections.”
Cyber diplomacy
Ernst brings years of experience as a diplomat to his job as a cyber ambassador. He says: ‘We have already undergone significant digital development in the Netherlands, but this is not the case everywhere. How do we ensure that countries that are still behind in digitization also do so in a safe manner? Because the weakest link in the chain can influence our safety. We will be working on these types of issues through cyber diplomacy in the coming years.’
The rapid development of AI should not be underestimated, says Nathalie. Scientifically speaking, it can bring incredible progress, but at the same time it poses risks, indeed to a level that it could endanger our democracy.’
Big tech
In pursuing its digital course, the Netherlands must collaborate with tech companies, science and social organizations, including big tech, large technology companies that have a lot of power on the internet. Fortunately, there are more and more parties that are open to collaboration with governments, Nathalie knows. ‘There is a group of large tech companies that would like to talk to us. They choose to support democratic countries in the digital world and are partly looking for ways to do so. They want to stay away from the authoritarian tendencies that you see in some countries, especially online. In fact, there are companies that have their own foreign policy for that reason. EU legislation, the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act form the framework.’
World leader
Ernst’s task is to embrace the challenges and opportunities in the cyber field on behalf of the Netherlands. He concludes: ‘It is not the case that the risks outweigh the opportunities, or the other way around. Digitalization is continuing and we have to deal with it. Fortunately, in the Netherlands we can rely on an excellent online infrastructure and we now have a sound cyber policy. It is not without reason that the International Institute for Strategic Studies said: ‘The Netherlands is one of the world leaders in the field of cyber diplomacy’. That will be a great basis for my work in the coming years.’