The United States supports the Paris Call for trust and security in cyberspace

Published on the US Department of State

Ned Price, Department Spokesperson

The United States supports the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, consistent with our position that all actors must do their part to promote an “open, secure, stable, accessible, and peaceful cyberspace.”  Our decision to support the Paris Call reflects the Administration’s pledge to renew America’s engagement with the international community, including on cyber issues.  We are committed to working alongside our allies and partners to uphold established global norms in cyberspace and ensure accountability for states that engage in destructive, disruptive, or destabilizing cyber activity.   

We welcome the Government of France’s leadership in bringing together a multi-stakeholder group of supporters – including states as well as private sector and civil society actors – around a shared commitment to safeguard the benefits the Internet provides all people.   As we face the global challenges of the 21st century – from COVID-19 to climate change – it is imperative we all do our part.  It is uniquely the role and responsibility of states to develop the norms, rules, and principles of responsible state behaviour that promote security and stability in cyberspace.  The United States views the broadly framed language of the Paris Call in this light and interprets it consistent with our existing domestic and international obligations and commitments, including with respect to privacy and freedom of expression. 

For more than a decade, the United States, alongside France and many others, has championed a global framework of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, underpinned by the applicability of international law, adherence to voluntary peacetime norms of state behaviour in cyberspace, and the development and implementation of practical confidence building measures.  This framework has repeatedly been endorsed by UN member states, most recently in the March 10, 2021, report of the Open-Ended Working Group in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security and the July 14, 2021, report of the Group of Governmental Experts on Advancing Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace in the Context of International Security.  The United States’ support of the Paris Call does not mark a change in U.S. Government policy but rather reflects our continuing commitment to act responsibly and partner with likeminded states to promote stability in cyberspace.    

We also note the commitments of private sector actors who support the Paris Call to contribute to the future of a stable cyberspace by adhering to key principles relevant to their own unique roles.  Among other important efforts, the United States urges companies to take seriously their commitment to strengthen the security of digital processes, products and services, throughout their life cycle and supply chain.  We applaud the language in the Paris Call reaffirming the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online.