Following a November 10 meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the U.S. will sign onto a three-year old framework offered by the French government as an international framework for cooperation on cyber and supply chain security.
According to a White House press release, the U.S. is “committed to working alongside its allies and partners to advance cybersecurity and uphold established global norms in cyberspace.” The move to support the French framework falls in line with similarly-themed efforts by the Biden administration this year to deepen cybersecurity relations with European and G-20 nations.
In the latest chapter of that push, the U.S. will support the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, which the White House labeled as “a voluntary commitment to work with the international community to advance cybersecurity and preserve the open, interoperable, secure, and reliable internet.”
The French government began the multilateral cyber initiative in 2018. It condemns reckless behavior in cyberspace, and seeks to mobilize resources to secure the software supply chain. Eighty countries and hundreds of corporations, including Microsoft and Google, have already lent their support to the document.
The Trump administration steered clear of the French-led effort, even though numerous U.S. allies – and even some local governments in the U.S. – had signed onto the Paris Call.
The U.S. decision to join the Paris Call comes as the Biden administration moves to line up international support for cracking down cyberattacks in the U.S. “[It] reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s priority to renew and strengthen America’s engagement with the international community on cyber issues,” the White House stated.
“This announcement builds on the U.S.’ continuing work to improve cybersecurity for our citizens and business, including rallying G7 countries to hold accountable nations that harbor cybercriminals, supporting the update of NATO cyber policy …, and the recent counter-ransomware engagement with over 30 countries around the world to accelerate international cooperation to combat cybercrime,” the White House stated.
Also this week, Deputy National Security Advisory for Cyber and Emerging Technologies Anne Neuberger met with a range of European officials and members of parliament to discuss cybersecurity and emerging technology policies.
