"Is Cyberwar Lawful?" - a column by A. M. Rutkowski, a well-known expert in international telecommunication law. He currently serves as the international cybersecurity rapporteur in the Geneva-based ITU-T and is a senior fellow in the Georgia Tech's Sam Nunn School.

The answer is probably not -- at least an unprovoked attack -- based on extensive new legal research appearing in an upcoming issue of the British journal INFO. The research describes a 150-year-old series of Geneva Conventions relating to cyberwar. However, a precise answer to the question is impossible because no one has actually defined the term "cyberwar" and reaching broad agreement on a definition seems problematic at best. . . .So it appears that cyberspace is emulating the real world, and countries are finding common ground in taking steps to implement existing treaty provisions and avoiding the escalation of cyber conflict even if they cannot define cyberwar.

Read full Computerworld Article.

Anthony (Tony) Rutkowski is currently the Vice-President for Regulatory Affairs within the Communication Services Division at VeriSign, Inc.- the leading global provider of trusted infrastructure and identity services for the Internet, telecommunications, and e-commerce sectors. He is also a Distinguished Senior Research Fellow of the Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy at Georgia Tech. In his 40 year of work, he has been employed by: General Magic, Sprint International, Horizon House, Pan American Engineering, General Electric, the Evening News Association, the Federal Communications Commission, the International Telecommunication Union, Cape Canaveral City Council, the Internet Society, MIT, and NY Law School, as well as consultancy with NGI Associates.

He is an engineer-lawyer who extensively uses and innovates with many of these technologies. He developed a career from following strategically important developments and turning them into business opportunities. He currently serves President of the Global LI Industry Forum and participates in numerous Lawful Access and Interception forums. He also participates on the advisory boards for Telecommunications Policy and Info magazines.