The advent of cyberspace has led to a dramatic increase in state-sponsored political and economic espionage. This monograph argues that these practices represent a threat to the maintenance of international peace and security and assesses the extent to which international law regulates this conduct. The traditional view among international legal scholars is that, in the absence of direct and specific international law on the topic of espionage, cyber espionage constitutes an extra-legal activity that is unconstrained by international law. This monograph challenges that assumption and reveals that there are general principles of international law as well as specialised international legal regimes that indirectly regulate cyber espionage. In terms of general principles of international law, this monograph explores how the rules of territorial sovereignty, non-intervention and the non-use of force apply to cyber espionage. In relation to specialised regimes, this monograph investigates the role of diplomatic and consular law, international human rights law and the law of the World Trade Organization in addressing cyber espionage. This monograph also examines whether developments in customary international law have carved out espionage exceptions to those international legal rules that otherwise prohibit cyber espionage as well as considering whether the doctrines of self-defence and necessity can be invoked to justify cyber espionage. Notwithstanding the applicability of international law, this monograph concludes that policymakers should nevertheless devise an international law of espionage which, as lex specialis, contains rules that are specifically designed to confront the growing threat posed by cyber espionage.
Author(s): Russell Buchan
Publisher: HART Publishing/Bloomsbury Publishing
Year: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 249
Tags: Espionage: Law And Legislation, Internet In Espionage
Acknowledgements......Page 6
Table of Contents......Page 8
Table of Cases......Page 12
Table of Instruments......Page 22
1. Background......Page 30
2. The Argument......Page 33
3. Chapter Overview......Page 38
1. Introduction......Page 42
2. The Intelligence Community......Page 43
3. Cyber Espionage: The Copying of Confidential Data......Page 46
4. Close and Remote Access Cyber Espionage......Page 47
5. Secrecy and Cyber Espionage......Page 48
6. Non-Consensual Information Gathering......Page 49
7. Political and Economic Cyber Espionage and the Role of State and Non-State Actors......Page 50
8. Cyber Espionage and International Law......Page 54
9. Peacetime Cyber Espionage......Page 55
10. Conclusion......Page 56
2. Political Cyber Espionage......Page 57
3. Economic Cyber Espionage......Page 70
4. Conclusion......Page 75
1. Introduction......Page 77
2. The Rule of Territorial Sovereignty......Page 78
3. The Rule of Non-Intervention......Page 90
4. The Prohibition on the Use of Force......Page 94
5. Conclusion......Page 97
1. Introduction......Page 99
2. Cyber Espionage Against Diplomatic Missions and Consular Posts......Page 100
3. The Use of Diplomatic Missions and Consular Posts for Cyber Espionage......Page 118
4. Conclusion......Page 123
1. Introduction......Page 124
2. The Extraterritorial Application of Human Rights Treaties......Page 125
3. The Right to Privacy......Page 134
4. Restricting the Right to Privacy......Page 138
5. Conclusion......Page 150
1. Introduction......Page 151
2. Economic Cyber Espionage as a WTO 'Measure'......Page 154
3. Nullification or Impairment of a Benefit......Page 158
4. Substantive Obligations under WTO Law......Page 159
5. Non-Violation Complaints......Page 170
6. Conclusion......Page 172
1. Introduction......Page 174
2. Customary International Law......Page 177
3. State Practice......Page 178
4. Opinio Juris......Page 189
5. Conclusion......Page 197
1. Introduction......Page 199
2. The Doctrine of Self-Defence......Page 200
3. The Doctrine of Necessity......Page 208
4. Conclusion......Page 219
Conclusion......Page 220
Bibliography......Page 225
Index......Page 234
