The Cyber Program recently celebrated the completion of the Cyber Accountability Project and the publication of its final report at a private event held at the Residence of the Swiss Ambassador to the United States of America in collaboration with American University’s Tech, Law & Security Program.
With opening remarks by Swiss Ambassador Ralf Heckner and Professor Gary Corn, Director of the Technology, Law & Security Program, the event was a conversation about the need and potential of various mechanisms to better address the unique accountability gaps faced in cyberspace. The Cyber Program reiterated the takeaways of its final report, as produced through ten case studies on accountability in non-cyber domains, with lessons for enhancing cyber accountability and reframing the way we understand cyber deterrence.
Event speakers included the Stimson Center’s Cyber Program Director Allison Pytlak; Kevin Reifsteck, Cybersecurity Policy Director at Microsoft; Professor Ashley Deeks, Associate Professor at University of Virginia School of Law; and Glenn Gerstell, Nonresident Expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The discussion explored how problems of attribution and restraint in cyberspace muddy the waters of accountability, with a look toward what makes cyber a uniquely challenging threat for the international community to deter or prevent. Speakers touched on some of the more concrete mechanisms and tools that can be leveraged for accountability purposes, such as tools of statecraft and countermeasures to international agreements and legal frameworks developed under the UN auspices. Speakers also elaborated briefly on their vision for the responsible use of cyberspace amid emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). We invite you to revisit these questions, and more, by tuning into this event recording.