Dr. Amit K. Maitra has joined CSCSS as Senior Vice President of the International Cyber Law and Policy Group

Nov 5, 2013

CSCSS Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C, LONDON, UK, November 5, 2013 - The Center for Strategic Cyberspace + Security Science (CSCSS) is pleased to announce that Dr. Amit K. Maitra has joined CSCSS as Senior Vice President of the International Cyber Law and Policy Group. Amit brings to the Group years of experience with specialized levels of security and support to meet the unique mission requirements of U.S. national security and critical infrastructure customers. This International Cyber Law and Policy Group addresses policy for norms of behavior for cyber conflict. Its programme advances emergency preparedness for crises in cyberspace and engages public-private sector leadership for innovative problem solving.

The Group’s programme comprises international law, cybercrime convention and jurisdiction and their associated relationship to cyber law, state responsibility, and criminal cooperation. The programme also covers the applicability of the various facets of international law: conventions and interpretation of international humanitarian law principles, including the principle of sovereignty and the law of neutrality, and rules to cyber hostilities. For the International Cyber Law and Policy Group, the fundamental challenge remains the interplay of cyber operations and international law. To that end, the Group collaborates with key stakeholders to champion the implementation of several important approaches to the interpretation of international law in the cyber context.

Speaking on behalf of the CSCSS, President and CEO Richard Zaluski stated, “ From the perspective of international law, including the Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare, the intent of CSCSS and its International Cyber Law and Policy Group is to work with the international community, national bodies and international conventions on cybercrime and law to identify gaps between different areas of law and establish and enhance the Group's research visibility, initiatives, strategies, and policies a propos cyber conflict, national cyber security, politically motivated high-end cyber attacks and the role of the International Law of Cyber Operations. We deliver concepts and proposals on how to improve the current state and progressive development of international humanitarian law, including the law of nations, policies, and network centric warfare to a wide range of emerging leaders and organizations around the world”.

He went on to add, “Amit brings a wealth of experience in the areas of information and communications technology reliability, robustness, resilience and security. His government experience includes work on politico-military issues, including policies relevant to conventional arms and international technology transfer export control. His knowledge, ideas, and expertise will be invaluable to the success of the International Cyber Law and Policy Group, while simultaneously adding international presence and differentiated products to complement our existing vast product portfolio comprising standards, best practices, strategies relative to national agencies, Information society laws, national statutes, and regulations.”

“The evolution of cyberspace has outpaced our understanding of its opportunities and risks. CSCSS represents an evolution in the security field to a bigger focus on communications and collaboration,” said Amit. “I view this new role with CSCSS as the perfect opportunity to help bring the vision of CSCSS to reality for a global audience.

Holding bad actors accountable for their actions could be an effective deterrent in cyberspace. Therein lies the problem of attribution. The problem is not a technological one: rather, the hardest barriers to attribution stem from legal, policy, and cultural implications. In these areas, CSCSS is making an impact”

From a CSCSS Standpoint, governments are not organized to address this growing problem because responsibilities are distributed across departments, organizations, and agencies - none with sufficient decision authority to direct actions that can address the problem comprehensively. Our aim is to be a focal point for discussion of the policy gaps in the international arena.

The International Cyber Law and Policy Group, plans to drive programmes to explore a wide range of cyber security issues in the context of international law and international relations theory and practice. As the U.S. senator Thomas L. Carper says, “The issue of Cyber Warfare is not science fiction anymore. It’s reality.” With government placing more emphasis on cyberspace, now is the time for government, businesses, and individuals to invest. I envision involving industry, academia, and the international community of experts with the hard issues of cyber law on the international stage, thereby bringing focus to the debate around a wide spectrum of legal areas and existing instruments relevant to cyberspace.”

###
The Center for Strategic Cyberspace + Security Science is a bipartisan, multilateral, international nonprofit organization headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It seeks to advance global cyberspace cybersecurity, defence, leadership and prosperity by providing strategic insights for cyberspace security and cyber policy solutions to decision makers.