Cyberspace provides more than a space for bullies. It can also provide a weapon in warfare and other conflicts.
UNICEF’s Office of Global Insight and Policy has produced a ‘rapid analysis’ paper on what can be done to protect children from the impact of Cyberconflicts.
Through misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, threat actors can exploit public
perceptions …degrade trust and social cohesion in societies.
Quoting from the report:
“Offensive cyber operations, however, are increasingly consequential and their potential impact on civilians, including children, poses threats to their safety and security, and has alarmed those who monitor armed conflict closely.”
“…we urgently need to clarify how international law, in particular the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, can be used to protect children from the harmful impact of offensive cyber operations.”
“The goals of the paper are twofold. By providing evidence on how offensive cyber operations can seriously harm children, we aim to help organizations working for and with children engage in the discourse and advocate for strengthened safeguards for children. The paper should help identify, in technical and legal terms, how children’s rights and freedoms are at risk of being violated by cyber threat actors. The paper furthermore aims to encourage States and legal and cybersecurity experts to consider the differentiated and disproportionate impact on children of cyberconflict– particularly that of offensive cyber operations – when designing governance of cyberspace.”
To read the full report, click here or follow the link: <https://tinyurl.com/37sncadc>
