THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
Cyber Security − the threats and solutions Cyber security is more than technical implementation. It is also strategic decision making on an integrated approach bringing all aspects together in an EU Cyber Strategy Marietje Schaake MEP ...................................................................... 54 Gilles de Kerchove........................................................................... 57 Arne Schönbohm ............................................................................. 59
Security measures must respect human rights in the EU and when considering EU’s global role
Balancing Cyber Security and Human Rights Interview with Marietje Schaake MEP, Strasbourg/Brussels
The European: Cyber crime is without any doubt a global phenomenon. What are the risks for the European Union as a whole? Mrs Schaake: The internet has made possible global communication and interaction. As with any online activity, criminals can work together well across borders and act globally. We need more cooperation among law enforcement organizations and officials in Europe. The risks of cyber attacks particular to the European Union should be analyzed in detail before we agree on a specific strategy. The European: Aren’t there enough industry-funded reports? Mrs Schaake: Yes, the vast majority of comprehensive research on cyber crime is available through reports funded by the Information and communications technologies (ICT) industry. But there is a need for more independent scientific research. I would add that developing policies on cyber crime should go hand in hand with safeguarding internet freedom. The resulting policies should also be subject to democratic oversight.
Marietje Schaake MEP Marietje Schaake is a Member of the European Parliament for the Dutch Democratic Party with the ALDE political group since 2009. She serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, where she focuses on neighbourhood policy human rights, with a specific focus on freedom of expression and press freedom; and Iran. In the Committee on Culture, Media, Education, Youth and Sports, she works on Europe’s Digital Agenda and the role of culture and new media in the EU’s external actions. Before joining the European Parliament, she worked as an independent advisor to governments, diplomats, businesses and NGOs, on issues of transatlantic relations, diversity and pluralism, civil and human rights and integration. She studied American Studies and New Media at the University of Amsterdam.
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The European: It seems to me that you are rather downplaying the actual status of the discussions. Mrs Schaake: Talking about cyber security is over-hyped, so it is important to keep a realistic viewpoint. To put it in perspective, no cyber attack has had the impact of 9/11 in terms of casualties. The European: What are the general objectives of cyber attacks? Mrs Schaake: Cyber attacks can be conducted based on different motives. They can be waged to undermine a corporation, organization or government. Generally, attacks are made by either states, politically motivated networks, organized crime syndicates, or individuals. The problem is that the attack is not always visible or even known to the targeted system, organization or individual, making it difficult to accurately detect. The European: Can you see any trends? Mrs Schaake: Increasingly, we can observe attacks by governments against citizens. In the weeks before the street demonstrations and violent crackdowns in Syria, the government deployed aggressive technologies to break into citizens’ emails and social media accounts to gather information. This information was then used against the people to track opposition voices and networks as well as to harvest personal data. The European: And similar crimes in other countries? Mrs Schaake: In Egypt, for example, the government turned off the internet and mobile connections entirely in an unprecedented crackdown. Equally unprecedented was the fining of Mubarak and two of his ministers, who were held accountable by the courts for resulting economic losses. The European: Isn’t this an important step forward? Mrs Schaake: It is an important step, but not including human
