US and EU Join Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace

Cybersecurity protects computer systems around the world.

Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the U.S. will join the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace following her meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on November 10. The agreement involves collaboration with the international community as well as private technology firms like Google and Microsoft.

“This is about taking on the challenges of the 21st Century,” wrote Harris in a Twitter post.

The White House released a fact sheet stating the importance of supporting established cyberspace norms and holding accountable “states that engage in destructive, disruptive, and destabilizing cyber activity.”

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced the European Union’s intent to join the Paris Call in a speech at the Paris Peace Forum on November 11.

“Throughout the pandemic, indeed, the internet has been a lifeline for millions of companies, and the only connection to our loved ones for so many of us. Yet, cyberspace has also become a more dangerous place, with rising threats against our critical infrastructure, our democratic processes, and even our personal health and safety, including our children's,” said von der Leyen.

Von der Leyen emphasized the similarity between the goals of the E.U. in regard to cyberspace and the message of the Paris Call, highlighting the importance of “collective security” in the region, artificial intelligence product standards, and the ethical use of algorithms.

“Joining the Paris Call is another step on a common path. It is a commitment to working with all of you to reclaim the internet as a force for good. It is a commitment to making the values we cherish offline also respected online,” said von der Leyen.

The Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace was originally sent on November 12 in 2018 by Emmanuel Macron during the UNESCO Internet Governance Forum and the Paris Peace Forum.

It focuses on nine common principles to secure cyberspace: protect individuals and infrastructure, protect the internet, defend electoral processes, defend intellectual property, non-proliferation of malicious software, lifecycle security, cyber hygiene, hacking back, and international norms.

According to the Paris Call website, “The Paris Call invites all cyberspace actors to work together and encourage States to cooperate with private sector partners, the world of research and civil society. The supporters of the Paris Call commit to working together to adopt responsible behavior and implement within cyberspace the fundamental principles which apply in the physical world.”