Fick Nominated to Lead Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Nathaniel Fick for the role of U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy. The committee will now vote on sending the nomination forward to the Senate for confirmation.
Cyberspace Solarium Commission
Fick was introduced to the committee by Senator Angus King (ME-I) who is also the co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC). King noted that one of the principal recommendations of the CSC “was the creation of an office or a bureau in the State Department to deal with international issues relating to cyber[security], and they can be anything from coordinating the international response to a cyberattack to establishing norms and standards in cyberspace, a kind of Geneva Convention of cyber,” King said. He added that the U.S. must do more to “[participate] in international panels that set standards for the internet” and that, “frankly, this country has not been as active in as we should be.”
Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy
The Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy at the State Department came into existence in April 2022, and Fick, if confirmed, would be the first ambassador. The bureau’s mandate is to “lead and coordinate the department’s work on cyberspace and digital diplomacy to encourage responsible state behavior in cyberspace and advance policies that protect the integrity and security of the infrastructure of the internet, serve U.S. interests, promote competitiveness, and uphold democratic ideals.” Their mission statement concludes with “The Bureau addresses the national security challenges, economic opportunities, and values considerations presented by cyberspace, digital technologies, and digital policy and promotes standards and norms that are fair, transparent, and support our values.”
The bureau joins the intelligence community and U.S. Cyber Command in cyber engagement. King noted that “Cyber Command and NSA can inform this new bureau about where the threats are, where the allies that they’ve established are, what relationships we’ve had with other countries’ cyber defense establishment.”
In his comments to the committee, Fick noted that the next frontier of American diplomacy involved safeguarding the national security of the United States and sustaining economic strength as well as promoting the technical leadership enjoyed by American technology. He went on to call out Russia and China specifically as two countries that have a “very different vision for cyberspace and the use of digital technologies.”
Fick highlighted three areas of concern to which he expects to invest his energies.
- A framework of responsible state behavior
- A global digital economy
- Champion a positive vision for digital freedom and digital inclusion while working to combat digital authoritarianism
Responsible State Behavior
Fick referenced UN member states that have endorsed the responsible behavior framework within the context of the digital domain. He said the framework, while non-binding and voluntary, guides states on what they should and should not do in cyberspace. He said collaboration, both domestic and international, would serve to reduce the severity of damaging cybersecurity incidents.
Global Digital Economy
U.S. companies and workers must have a level playing field on which to compete, Fick said in his comments. To this end, there is a need to preserve the free flow of information and data across international borders, while at the same time ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of the data. He called for new innovations, specifically hailing open radio access networks (ORAN) and the need to ensure the security of the telecommunications ecosystems upon which these new ventures rely.
Digital Freedoms
To battle digital authoritarianism and preserve digital freedom and inclusion, Fick said there needs to be a public-private collaboration to ensure a firm understanding of digital technologies. Doing so will “harness these technologies to strengthen democratic governance instead of allowing them to be used for repression.” He closed his remarks by commenting on the need to be mindful of the abuse or foreign influence operations that take place in the digital arena and that have a deleterious effect on digital freedoms.
Fick’s nomination is expected to be sent out of the Foreign Relations Committee with the committee’s seal of approval and to the full chamber soon.
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