Human Rights Online: As Long as They Align with U.S. Interests

The ‎U.S.‏ ‎State ‎Department’s ‎new ‎cyberspace ‎strategy is‏ ‎all ‎about‏ ‎«digital‏ ‎solidarity, ‎» ‎because‏ ‎clearly, ‎the‏ ‎best ‎way ‎to ‎secure‏ ‎the‏ ‎internet ‎is‏ ‎by ‎getting‏ ‎everyone—governments, ‎companies, ‎and ‎civil ‎society—to‏ ‎hold‏ ‎hands ‎and‏ ‎sing ‎Kumbaya‏ ‎while ‎tackling ‎cyber ‎threats ‎and‏ ‎promoting‏ ‎human‏ ‎rights.

General ‎points:

📌Promoting‏ ‎an ‎Open,‏ ‎Interoperable, ‎Secure,‏ ‎and‏ ‎Reliable ‎Internet:‏ ‎Advocating ‎for ‎a ‎global ‎internet‏ ‎that ‎is‏ ‎accessible‏ ‎to ‎all, ‎free‏ ‎from ‎undue‏ ‎restrictions, ‎and ‎resilient ‎against‏ ‎disruptions.‏ ‎Because ‎who‏ ‎wouldn’t ‎want‏ ‎a ‎utopian ‎internet ‎where ‎everything‏ ‎works‏ ‎perfectly, ‎and‏ ‎everyone ‎plays‏ ‎nice?

📌Advancing ‎Multi-Stakeholder ‎Internet ‎Governance: ‎Supporting‏ ‎a‏ ‎governance‏ ‎model ‎that‏ ‎includes ‎governments,‏ ‎private ‎sector,‏ ‎civil‏ ‎society, ‎and‏ ‎technical ‎community ‎to ‎ensure ‎diverse‏ ‎perspectives ‎and‏ ‎shared‏ ‎responsibility. ‎Let’s ‎get‏ ‎everyone ‎involved‏ ‎in ‎decision-making, ‎because ‎more‏ ‎cooks‏ ‎in ‎the‏ ‎kitchen ‎always‏ ‎make ‎for ‎a ‎better ‎meal,‏ ‎right?

📌Enhancing‏ ‎Cybersecurity: ‎Implementing‏ ‎measures ‎to‏ ‎protect ‎critical ‎infrastructure, ‎improve ‎cyber‏ ‎defenses,‏ ‎and‏ ‎respond ‎to‏ ‎cyber ‎threats‏ ‎effectively. ‎The‏ ‎U.S.‏ ‎is ‎on‏ ‎a ‎mission ‎to ‎make ‎the‏ ‎internet ‎safer,‏ ‎one‏ ‎policy ‎at ‎a‏ ‎time. ‎Because‏ ‎clearly, ‎the ‎current ‎state‏ ‎of‏ ‎cybersecurity ‎is‏ ‎just ‎a‏ ‎minor ‎hiccup.

📌Fostering ‎Innovation ‎and ‎Economic‏ ‎Growth: Encouraging‏ ‎policies ‎that‏ ‎support ‎technological‏ ‎innovation, ‎digital ‎entrepreneurship, ‎and ‎the‏ ‎growth‏ ‎of‏ ‎the ‎digital‏ ‎economy. ‎Encouraging‏ ‎tech ‎innovation‏ ‎and‏ ‎economic ‎prosperity,‏ ‎because ‎Silicon ‎Valley ‎needs ‎more‏ ‎billion-dollar ‎startups.

📌Protecting‏ ‎Human‏ ‎Rights ‎and ‎Fundamental‏ ‎Freedoms: Ensuring ‎that‏ ‎digital ‎policies ‎respect ‎and‏ ‎promote‏ ‎human ‎rights,‏ ‎including ‎freedom‏ ‎of ‎expression, ‎privacy, ‎and ‎access‏ ‎to‏ ‎information. ‎Ensuring‏ ‎that ‎everyone‏ ‎can ‎enjoy ‎their ‎digital ‎rights,‏ ‎as‏ ‎long‏ ‎as ‎they‏ ‎align ‎with‏ ‎U.S. ‎interests.

📌Promoting‏ ‎International‏ ‎Security ‎and‏ ‎Stability ‎in ‎Cyberspace: Working ‎towards ‎norms‏ ‎of ‎responsible‏ ‎state‏ ‎behavior ‎in ‎cyberspace‏ ‎and ‎reducing‏ ‎the ‎risk ‎of ‎conflict‏ ‎stemming‏ ‎from ‎cyber‏ ‎activities. ‎Striving‏ ‎for ‎a ‎peaceful ‎cyberspace, ‎where‏ ‎cyberattacks‏ ‎are ‎just‏ ‎a ‎thing‏ ‎of ‎the ‎past. ‎Dream ‎big,‏ ‎right?

📌Building‏ ‎International‏ ‎Partnerships: ‎Collaborating‏ ‎with ‎international‏ ‎partners ‎to‏ ‎address‏ ‎shared ‎cyber‏ ‎challenges ‎and ‎enhance ‎collective ‎security.‏ ‎Teaming ‎up‏ ‎with‏ ‎other ‎nations ‎to‏ ‎tackle ‎cyber‏ ‎challenges, ‎because ‎global ‎cooperation‏ ‎always‏ ‎goes ‎off‏ ‎without ‎a‏ ‎hitch.

📌Countering ‎Malicious ‎Cyber ‎Activities: Taking ‎actions‏ ‎to‏ ‎deter, ‎disrupt,‏ ‎and ‎respond‏ ‎to ‎malicious ‎cyber ‎activities ‎by‏ ‎state‏ ‎and‏ ‎non-state ‎actors.‏ ‎Taking ‎a‏ ‎stand ‎against‏ ‎cyber‏ ‎threats, ‎because‏ ‎the ‎bad ‎guys ‎will ‎definitely‏ ‎back ‎down‏ ‎when‏ ‎they ‎see ‎the‏ ‎U.S. ‎coming.

Briefing‏ ‎ext. ‎points:

📌Digital ‎Solidarity: ‎The‏ ‎New‏ ‎Buzzword: ‎The‏ ‎strategy’s ‎«north‏ ‎star» ‎is ‎digital ‎solidarity, ‎because‏ ‎nothing‏ ‎says ‎«we’re‏ ‎serious» ‎like‏ ‎a ‎catchy ‎phrase ‎that ‎means‏ ‎everyone‏ ‎should‏ ‎just ‎get‏ ‎along ‎and‏ ‎share ‎their‏ ‎toys‏ ‎in ‎the‏ ‎digital ‎sandbox.

Three ‎Guiding ‎Principles: ‎Because‏ ‎Two ‎Wouldn’t‏ ‎Be‏ ‎Enough:

📌Affirmative ‎Vision: The ‎U.S.‏ ‎isn’t ‎forcing‏ ‎anyone ‎to ‎choose ‎sides;‏ ‎it’s‏ ‎just ‎offering‏ ‎a ‎«more‏ ‎compelling ‎option"—because ‎who ‎wouldn’t ‎want‏ ‎to‏ ‎join ‎the‏ ‎cool ‎kids'‏ ‎club?

📌Integration: ‎Cybersecurity, ‎sustainable ‎development, ‎and‏ ‎tech‏ ‎innovation‏ ‎all ‎rolled‏ ‎into ‎one‏ ‎neat ‎package.‏ ‎It’s‏ ‎like ‎a‏ ‎digital ‎Swiss ‎Army ‎knife.

📌Whole ‎Digital‏ ‎Ecosystem: ‎From‏ ‎the‏ ‎cloud ‎to ‎cables,‏ ‎every ‎bit‏ ‎of ‎the ‎internet’s ‎architecture‏ ‎is‏ ‎important. ‎Yes,‏ ‎even ‎those‏ ‎undersea ‎cables ‎you ‎never ‎think‏ ‎about.

Four‏ ‎Areas ‎of‏ ‎Action: ‎Because‏ ‎We ‎Love ‎Lists:

📌Open, ‎Inclusive, ‎Secure,‏ ‎and‏ ‎Resilient‏ ‎Digital ‎Ecosystem:‏ ‎The ‎U.S.‏ ‎has ‎been‏ ‎championing‏ ‎this ‎for‏ ‎decades, ‎so ‎clearly, ‎it’s ‎working‏ ‎perfectly.

📌Rights-Respecting ‎Digital‏ ‎Governance:‏ ‎Aligning ‎with ‎international‏ ‎partners ‎to‏ ‎ensure ‎everyone ‎plays ‎by‏ ‎the‏ ‎same ‎rules—rules‏ ‎that ‎the‏ ‎U.S. ‎probably ‎wrote.

📌Responsible ‎State ‎Behavior:‏ ‎Promoting‏ ‎good ‎behavior‏ ‎in ‎cyberspace,‏ ‎because ‎a ‎stern ‎talking-to ‎always‏ ‎stops‏ ‎cybercriminals‏ ‎in ‎their‏ ‎tracks.

📌Building ‎Capacity:‏ ‎Helping ‎other‏ ‎countries‏ ‎beef ‎up‏ ‎their ‎cyber ‎defenses, ‎because ‎nothing‏ ‎says ‎«we‏ ‎trust‏ ‎you» ‎like ‎giving‏ ‎you ‎the‏ ‎tools ‎to ‎protect ‎yourself.

📌The‏ ‎Usual‏ ‎Suspects. ‎Russia:‏ ‎Russia ‎is‏ ‎still ‎the ‎bad ‎guy, ‎launching‏ ‎cyberattacks‏ ‎left ‎and‏ ‎right, ‎but‏ ‎don’t ‎worry, ‎NATO’s ‎got ‎this‏ ‎covered.

📌The‏ ‎Usual‏ ‎Suspects. ‎China:‏ ‎is ‎the‏ ‎«most ‎persistent‏ ‎cyber‏ ‎threat, ‎»‏ ‎holding ‎critical ‎infrastructure ‎at ‎risk.‏ ‎But ‎hey,‏ ‎let’s‏ ‎chat ‎about ‎AI‏ ‎safety ‎and‏ ‎maybe ‎collaborate ‎on ‎some‏ ‎cool‏ ‎tech.

📌AI: ‎The‏ ‎Double-Edged ‎Sword:‏ ‎AI ‎will ‎turbo-charge ‎both ‎cyberattacks‏ ‎and‏ ‎cyber ‎defenses.‏ ‎It’s ‎an‏ ‎arms ‎race, ‎but ‎with ‎algorithms.

📌Global‏ ‎Cooperation:‏ ‎The‏ ‎Idealistic ‎Dream:‏ ‎The ‎U.S.‏ ‎wants ‎to‏ ‎work‏ ‎with ‎everyone—governments,‏ ‎companies, ‎civil ‎society—to ‎build ‎a‏ ‎secure, ‎inclusive,‏ ‎and‏ ‎rights-respecting ‎digital ‎world.‏ ‎Because ‎if‏ ‎we ‎all ‎just ‎hold‏ ‎hands,‏ ‎everything ‎will‏ ‎be ‎fine.