A Chinese official on Friday called on the United Nations
to impose an international code of conduct on the Internet. "It is
highly necessary and pressing for the international community to jointly bring
about an international code of conduct on cyberspace at an early date,"
said Wang Qun, director-general of the Arms Control Department of the Chinese
Foreign Ministry, in comments to the U.N. General Assembly. Wang's comments were reported by China's main
state-owned press outlet, the Xinhua News Agency. "China, for its part, will continue to
commit itself to establishing a peaceful, secure, open and cooperative
cyberspace and pushing for an early international code of conduct acceptable to
all," Wang added.
The U.N. will
be considering norms related to cyberspace security this month. A committee
comprised of 20 nations published a proposal over the summer for the General
Assembly to consider. The U.N. advisory
board has called for "effective cooperation among States to reduce risks
to international peace and security" and says that state actors
"should not conduct or knowingly support" cyber crime. In the wake of
high profile hacks into the U.S. State Department, Department of Defense, and
the Office of Personnel Management by China and Russia over the last year,
officials have expressed a desire to establish norms on the matter.
However, at the same time, President Obama has been
moving forward with a plan to transfer control of Internet domain name
functions to a multi-stakeholder body. Along with Russia, China has been the
most vocal in urging a quick conclusion to that process, and for a management
structure that ensures governments retain power over private stakeholders. As a
result, observers will be watching to see what China's conception of a
"code of conduct" entails.
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