Diplomacy and responsibilities in the transnational governance of the cyber domain

Abstract

Given the transnational nature of the internet and its impact on the key dimensions of our economy, politics and society worldwide, its governance has become a critical issue in global politics. Negotiations on how to spread responsibilities among actors playing a crucial role in its functioning have emerged as one of the relevant challenges for global diplomacy. The debate is characterised by the traditional contentious between stakeholders negotiating priorities, competencies and questions of accountability in governing this decentred issue area. If the industry is seen to be responsible for developing connectivity infrastructure and digital services, state actors play a critical role in creating regulations influencing citizens' access to the internet. This chapter unfolds this debate by looking at the evolution of the governance of the internet since its origins, characterised by the existing tensions among state actors, civil society and industry for the control of the internet domain name system, until till the more recent increasing priority in international diplomacy agenda on cybersecurity with which, we conclude, we are witnessing to a return to the state.