Summary

Inspired by the scandal that Edward Snowden set in motion, Silver Meikar, head of the Institute of Digital Rights, claims in his opening story that there is a global struggle currently underway over the control of the Internet. Meikar states that, ‘In the world today, cyber-hegemony (still?) belongs to the United States and we as a nation can be thankful that the Internet was not founded in Russia and that the bits and bytes are not being gathered in FSB’s servers. The United States is a democratic country (also evidenced by the fact that in the United States it is possible to freely discuss even such topics as the activities of the intelligence service) as well as our ally.’ In addition to cyber-security, however, Estonia should take an active position in defence of Internet freedom, says Meikar.
Civil servant Luukas Kristjan Ilves discusses the management of cyber-threats. He opines that as far as most risks and threats related to the cyberspace are concerned, solutions can be simple as well as cheap – such as encrypting one’s data and practicing cyber-hygiene.
Cyber-security experts Raul Rikk and Raul Ottis analyse the topic of cyber-warfare. Rikk writes that to a sceptical mind, cyber-warfare seems just as astonishing as tanks and aeroplanes at the time of their inception. According to Ottis, cyber-warfare capabilities are still playing a supportive role to other types of military operations, but the field is developing rapidly.
Rear Admiral Arnaud Coustillière, the Officer General of Cyber Defence of the French Armed Forces, tells in his interview to Diplomaatia how France deals with cyber-threats.
In his turn, James Quinault, the director of the British Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance, speaks about ensuring cyber-security in United Kingdom.

This article was published in ICDS Diplomaatia magazine.