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    The Wassenaar Arrangement is a multilateral export control regime that restricts the transfer of surveillance and cybersecurity technologies from Western countries to emerging markets like India. This perpetuates a digital divide and forces countries like India to purchase such technologies from less reputable companies. While the regime aimed to control arms proliferation after the Cold War, its recent expansion to include "intrusion software" and technologies that can extract information has drawn criticism for potentially hindering cybersecurity research and cooperation. The U.S. move to incorporate these expanded Wassenaar rules could complicate its discussions with India on issues like cybersecurity and Internet governance.

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    the big powers have signed wassenar agreement to deprive the developing countries from access to technologies

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    Wassenaar’s Web_ a Threat to Tech

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    The Wassenaar Arrangement is a multilateral export control regime that restricts the transfer of surveillance and cybersecurity technologies from Western countries to emerging markets like India. This perpetuates a digital divide and forces countries like India to purchase such technologies from less reputable companies. While the regime aimed to control arms proliferation after the Cold War, its recent expansion to include "intrusion software" and technologies that can extract information has drawn criticism for potentially hindering cybersecurity research and cooperation. The U.S. move to incorporate these expanded Wassenaar rules could complicate its discussions with India on issues like cybersecurity and Internet governance.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    16 views1 page

    Wassenaar's Web - A Threat To Tech

    Uploaded by

    Shivender Parmar
    The Wassenaar Arrangement is a multilateral export control regime that restricts the transfer of surveillance and cybersecurity technologies from Western countries to emerging markets like India. This perpetuates a digital divide and forces countries like India to purchase such technologies from less reputable companies. While the regime aimed to control arms proliferation after the Cold War, its recent expansion to include "intrusion software" and technologies that can extract information has drawn criticism for potentially hindering cybersecurity research and cooperation. The U.S. move to incorporate these expanded Wassenaar rules could complicate its discussions with India on issues like cybersecurity and Internet governance.

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    TODAY'SPAPEROPINION

    Published:August5,201500:00IST|Updated:August5,201505:47IST
    August5,2015

    Wassenaarsweb:athreattotechnologytransfer
    ArunMohanSukumar

    WheninJulyWikileakspublishedofficialrecordsandinternalcorrespondencebelongingtoHackingTeamanItaliancompanythatsells
    surveillancetechnologytogovernmentsandbusinessesNewDelhitoowascaughtinthecrosshairsofthecontroversythatfollowed.
    WhydidtheIndiangovernmenttalkshopwithalittleknownentityanditsequallydodgymarketingagents,criticswondered,especiallywhen
    HackingTeamhadahistoryofsellingspywaretoautocraciesinWestAsiaandNorthAfrica?Iflawfulinterceptionandespionagewereindeed
    thestatedobjectivesbehindpurchasingsuchtechnologies,whydidntagovernmentthatspendstrillionsofrupeeseveryyearondefence
    spendingsimplygotoabettermanufacturer?
    TheanswertothatpuzzleliesinaninstrumentsignedbymembersoftheNorthAtlanticTreatyOrganisation(NATO)and13othercountries
    intheDutchtownofWassenaartwodecadesago.TheWassenaarArrangementonExportControlsforConventionalArmsandDualUse
    GoodsandTechnologies,asthe1995instrumentiscalled,mayhavereplacedstringentColdWarregimes,butmerelysubstituted
    theideologicaldividewiththatofadifferentsort.
    TheWassenaarrulesperpetuateadigitaldividebyrestrictingWesterncompaniesandgovernmentsfromsupplyingcrucialtechnologies
    toemergingmarkets.Thedocumentdrawsfromanexpansivelist,rangingfromtechnologiesrelatingtothetelecommunicationssector
    todigitalsensors,computingandaviation:inotherwords,technologythatisindispensabletogovernmentsiftheyaretoprotecttheircritical
    informationinfrastructure.TheWassenaarguidelinesdonotbindmemberstatesbutmakeitincumbentonthemtocraftastrongexport
    controlregime.
    TheearlyninetiesarguablymadeforagoodcasetoarticulatesuchanarrangementthoughtheColdWarhadended,itsrelicsintheformof
    authoritariangovernmentsandarmedmilitiassubsisted,requiringacarefullycalibratedapproachtosharingsensitivetechnologies.Today,
    theWassenaarregimethreatenstobecomeobsoleteonaccountofitsfailuretodistinguishbetweenthelegitimatesecurityneedsof
    governmentsandmisuseofhighendtechnology.Farfromrelaxingtheexportcontrolregime,memberstateshavepiledontoitsrestrictions.
    In2013,theWassenaarArrangementaddedanewcategorypertainingtointrusionsoftwarethatcouldpotentiallybeusedasmonitoring
    tools,ortothwartprotectivecountermeasuresincyberspace.Hardwareandsoftwarethathelpedextractinformationwerealsoclassified
    withinthisrestrictedcategory.
    Thesweepingdefinitionsinthe2013amendmenttotheWassenaarregimehavepromptedbothcomputerscientistsandpolicyanalyststo
    highlightthechillingeffectitmayhaveoncybersecurityresearch.Withoutaccesstogrowingdigitaleconomies,Westerncompanieshaveno
    exposuretoemergingsecuritythreatstoInternetcompaniesandusers.Moreimportantly,developingcountrygovernmentshavenomeans
    tostrengthentheirdomesticcybersecuritysectorwithoutknowledgesharingfromtheiradvancedcounterparts.
    TheclaimthatWesterndemocracieshavebeenscrupulousindeployingsurveillancetechnologieshasbeenspectacularlydemolishedby
    theSnowdenrevelations.ThesheerscaleanddepthofcooperationamongtheFiveEyescountriestheU.S.,U.K.,Australia,NewZealand
    andCanada,allmembersoftheWassenaarregimeonindiscriminateandillegaldatagatheringandsurveillancestandsexposedtoday.
    Technologytransferbetweengovernments,then,isanovertlypoliticalact,withhumanrightsconsiderationbeinganimportantstrategic
    factor.
    WhethertheUnitedStatesgovernmentwilllettheserestrictiverulesstandinthewayofitspoliticalrelationshipwithIndia,then,remainsto
    beseen.InMaythisyear,theU.S.DepartmentofCommercesoughttoincorporatethe2013Wassenaaramendmentintodomesticlegislation,
    triggeringprotestfromInternetcompanieswhoseekasecureenvironmenttooperateinemergingeconomies.TheElectronicFrontier
    Foundation(EFF)hascalledtheU.S.restrictionsasanunworkablybroadsetofcontrols.
    MultilateralexportcontrolregimesespeciallyIndiasmembershipintheNuclearSuppliersGroup(NSG)havebeenasubjectof
    discussionbetweenIndiaandtheUnitedStatesfornearlyadecade.In2010,theU.S.DeputyNationalSecurityAdvisorhadsuggestedthe
    ObamaadministrationsupportedIndiasfullmembershipintheNSGandtheWassenaarArrangement,buttherehasbeenlittleprogresson
    thiscommitment.ItsrecentmovestoabsorbtheWassenaarrulescouldpotentiallycomplicatebilateraldiscussionsoncybersecurityand
    Internetgovernance.ForthosewithintheIndianestablishmentseekingpreferentialtreatmentfromtheU.S.ontechnologytransfer,the
    episodeshouldserveasarealitycheck.IfNewDelhithroughitsendorsementofthemultistakeholdermodelofinternetgovernance
    recentlysignalleditswillingnesstoplaybytherulesthattheU.S.hassetforcyberspace,itmustalsointrospectwhetherthepoliticalcostsof
    thatdecisionwillbeoffsetbystrategicgains.
    (ArunMohanSukumarheadstheCyberInitiativeattheObserverResearchFoundation,NewDelhi)
    TherecentmovesbytheU.S.toabsorbtheWassenaarrulescouldcomplicate
    bilateraldiscussionsoncybersecurity
    MOREFROMTHEHINDU

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