WASHINGTON, April 13. /TASS/. The US does not support the idea of an agreement introducing control over means of conducting offensive operations in cyberspace, US Department of State's Ambassador-at-Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nathaniel Fick said in response to TASS’ questions at a meeting with the Washington-based Defense Writers Group.
He made it clear that the US government was not inclined to seek a bilateral or multilateral cyber treaty introducing restrictions similar to those in the area of traditional arms control. "So again, as a general rule, we're extending existing bodies of international law into the digital domain, rather than advocating for the creation of new digital specific treaties," he pointed out.
The diplomat in fact confirmed that the US holds a similar position on reaching an understanding with other countries on the so-called red lines with regard to offensive operations in cyberspace. "We don't need a new set [of rules]. The Russians and the Chinese, for instance, would love for us to start fresh in the digital world and build a new architecture of human rights, law and norms, and the United States says ‘no.’ We have a century-old body that extends, that is going to extend into the digital world, and we'll talk about adjusting for new and different circumstances if that's required. But we're going to start with what we have, and I think the same is true in this regard," he noted, when asked if Washington stood for establishing red lines.