Message from the President of Costa-Rica

Patron of the Global Cybersecurity Agenda

Like any other technology, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can be put to work for the greater good or for the greater evil. ICTs can be used to spread great knowl-edge, raise awareness and gain a university degree, but they can also be used to destroy someone’s reputation or create entrenched prejudice, by disseminating false and misleading information. ICTs can be used to the good for long-distance diagnosis and telemedicine in healthcare, but they also propagate dangerous computer viruses that can cause critical com-puter systems to crash and the loss of vital data. ICTs can allow business entrepreneurs to access new markets and sell goods abroad, but they also enable crooks to swindle trusting would-be customers out of millions of dollars. Like any other technology, ICTs offer bound-less opportunities that we are only just beginning to explore, but also various pitfalls and online dangers. Information is a vital weapon in war, where it is vital in shaping public perceptions and the will, and ability, of the international community to take action. However, new forms of information warfare are evolving rapidly, breaking new ground in the flow and control of information during conflict. ‘Hacktivism’ is now a recognized form of information warfare, from defacements of commercial websites and the downing of competitors’ sites and systems to attacks on minorities’ cultural and religious presence online. The ability to attack other countries’ critical systems and communication capabilities in times of conflict is the new form of cyber-warfare and may ultimately prove far more damaging, and far more powerful, than a country’s military presence. Such incidents are difficult to monitor, and even harder to respond to, given the international and borderless nature of the Internet and cyberspace - what are the rules and laws governing these new forms of attack? And who should define these rules? I have spent my life working for education and for peace, and I believe that the answers to these questions can only come through coordinated multilateral action. The ITU has taken significant steps to address these challenges and has established an international framework for dialogue and coordination to promote cybersecurity, the ITU Global Cybersecurity Agenda. The ITU has assembled a panel of leading experts to advise the ITU Secretary-General on key trends in cybersecurity and cyberthreats online and how these threats can be countered. But cyberpeace cannot be achieved without the awareness and participation of all who venture online – who, by their everyday activities, cast a vote for a safe and secure information society. And this is why I invite you to join with me in supporting ITU’s key initiative to promote cybersecurity, the Global Cybersecurity Agenda, because peace and safety in the virtual world is becoming an ever more essential part of peace and safety in our everyday lives.