7.4
PROMOTION OF VALUES
Cybersecurity strategies may arise out the desire by countries to confront cyber threats
without losing focus on national values. Some of the values are universal. For example,
the ITU Child Online Protection is a success because most stakeholders agree on the
need to protect children from information and material injurious to their well-being. Other
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values are country specific. For example, the US has issued an international strategy
to ensure that cyberspace reflects that country’s “core commitments to fundamental
freedoms, privacy, and the free flow of information.” Other values include ensuring that
cyberspace supports free trade, human rights and democracy. We would like to stress
that the ITU does not have views on national values. It is every States’ sovereign right to
agree what constitutes national values. Figure 11 below indicates that States often
struggle to balance cybersecurity and the openness of the Internet.
# STATE
PROMOTION OF VALUES END
Australia
(2009)
Australian Values
Australia must pursue cyber security policies that enhance individual and
collective security while preserving Australians’ right to privacy and other
fundamental values and freedoms.
Czech
Republic
(2011)
Respect Principles
The government of the Czech Republic will adopt necessary measures to
protect and guarantee national cyber security. These measures will
respect privacy, fundamental rights and liberties, free access to
information and other democratic principles.
Holland
(2011)
Appropriate Balance
An appropriate balance must remain between, on the one hand, our
desire for public and national security and, on the other, the safeguarding
of our fundamental rights.
UK
(2009)
Balancing Security and Rights
A fundamental challenge for any government is to balance measures
intended to protect security and the right to life with the impact they may
have on the other rights that we cherish and which form the basis of our
society.
Figure 11 – Promotion of Values in National Cybersecurity Strategies
7.5
FAVOURABLE WORLD ORDER
We see this as a macro-national interest category. The case for a favourable world order
covers the economic, social and diplomatic policies that a State may deploy to ensure
that cyberspace promote its values and safeguard its interests in the community of
nations. For example, some States may seek to use cyberspace as a tool for promoting
national values such as democracy and other universal rights. On the contrary, other
States may prefer to ensure that cyberspace preserves stability and national unity. In
common with the promotion of values, we stress that the ITU does not hold views on
sovereign rights. Let us consider how the US seeks to promote a favourable order.
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US Strategy is at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/international_strategy_for_cyberspace.pdf
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