
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Amid escalating cyber attacks worldwide against all kinds of public and private institutions and individuals, an independent NGO – the Cyber Peace Institute – was established Sept. 26 in Geneva, Switzerland to address their impact and risks.
Among those helping to frame the organization’s goals and objectives are Indiana University and a professor in its Kelley School of Business.
Scott Shackelford, associate professor of business law and ethics in IU’s Kelley School of Business, chair of the Cybersecurity Program IU Bloomington and director of the Ostrom Workshop Program on Cybersecurity and Internet Governance, is one of new NGO’s strategic partners. Also involved are academics at other research institutions, such the University of Toronto, Harvard and Stanford universities and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“In a world beset by cyber insecurity, it is important to build ties, and ultimately trust, such as through the establishment of norms of behavior,” said Shackelford. “Discussions are ongoing on this front across numerous forums, including the UN, but they are disparate.
“The concept of cyber peace has the potential to link together discussions ranging from making democracy harder to hack to holding cyber criminals responsible for spreading ransomware. A whole ecosystem is needed to support this effort, including academia and civil society such as the Cyber Peace Institute,” he said.