At a time when Russia and China are increasingly putting their own authoritarian stamp on the internet, the US State Department is to formally launch on Monday its long-awaited cyberspace and digital policy bureau in an effort to make digital rights issues an intrinsic part of US foreign policy.
Though the announcement says that the bureau will address the national security challenges associated with cyberspace, digital technologies, and digital policy, it’s speculated that the move essentially revives a bureaucratic structure that the Trump administration had got rid of in its efforts to cut red tape.
The new Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, which will be led by a Senate-confirmed ambassador – a high-ranking cyber diplomat – is the Biden administration’s signal that they’re focused on elevating cyber diplomacy amid a year of devastating ransomware hacks on critical organizations like Colonial Pipeline, and the war in Ukraine.
US State Secretary Antony Blinken stressed in prepared remarks describing the role of the new bureau, the world is- as the happenings in Ukraine and Russia illustrate- in a contest over the rules, infrastructure, and standards that will define our digital future and whether the universal rights and democratic values will be at its center.
He noted that democracies must also answer together whether digital technologies deliver real benefits in people’s lives.
The bureau already has more than 60 staffers mostly coming from State Department’s cyber coordination and international communications offices, but another 30 new positions are planned this year.
State Department spokesperson said that they’ve also requested funding to support additional positions in its budget request for next year.
The aim behind the new bureau is to enhance with both diplomatic personnel and expertise State Department’s priorities such as shaping norms of responsible government behavior in cyberspace while helping US allies bolster their own cybersecurity programs.
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