Analysis: Agreement Seen Distant at London Cyber Conference

by Peter Apps,  Reuters

The upcoming London Cyber Summit will convene ministers, officials, tech executives, Internet activists, and security experts to discuss cyberspace management, and some experts suggest that a closed session on international security could be an initial step toward some type of ultimate cyberarms control.

However, such an effort could be years in the making and require much greater trust internationally. “We need to have a much more focused debate about cyberspace and the issues that are involved,” says U.K. summit representative John Duncan. “The discussions we will have … provide a framework which will allow this debate to go forward in a more structured manner.”

Some experts and officials caution that it could take 10 years or longer to arrive at true global agreement. Still, the Royal United Services Institute’s John Bassett says the summit will be worthwhile if the participants find enough common ground to initiate a dialogue between governments and other players.

Many experts say the immediate challenge is reining in hacking and establishing accountability for perpetrators. Although some summit participants say that anxieties over cyberwarfare are exaggerated, there seems little doubt that a deliberate assault on infrastructure could spur a dangerous escalation of hostilities.  Report