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G7 Principles and Actions on Cyber

Ise-Shima, Japan, May 27, 2016
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Cyberspace We Seek

• We affirm that the openness, interoperability, reliability, and security of the Internet have been and remain key to its development and success and that it also enhances the common values of G7, such as freedom, democracy and human rights.
• We reaffirm that the free flow of information is a fundamental principle to promote the global economy and development, and ensures a fair and equal access to the cyberspace for all actors of digital economy.
• We reaffirm the importance of respecting and promoting privacy, data protection and cyber security.
• We emphasize our commitment to a multi-stakeholder approach to Internet governance.
• We enjoy the same human rights online as well as offline, we dedicate ourselves to promoting and protecting human rights and principles of rule of law online.
• We emphasize the role of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in addressing global challenges and achieving progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

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Promoting Security and Stability in Cyberspace

• We pledge to take decisive and robust measures in close cooperation against malicious use of cyberspace both by states and non-state actors, including terrorists.
• Security and resilience in cyberspace can only be fully achieved by close cooperation and collaboration, both nationally and internationally, of the various actors responsible for cyber security, cyber defense and fighting cybercrime, including businesses, research and societies as a whole.
• We are concerned about growing uses of cyberspace for terrorist purposes such as recruitment, financing, training, operations, and incitement to violence.
• We affirm that international law, including the United Nations Charter, is applicable in cyberspace.
• We affirm that under some circumstances, cyber activities could amount to the use of force or an armed attack within the meaning of the United Nations Charter and customary international law. We also recognize that states may exercise their inherent right of individual or collective self-defense as recognized in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian law, in response to an armed attack through cyberspace.
• We commit to promote a strategic framework of international cyber stability consisting of the applicability of existing international law to state behavior in cyberspace, the promotion of voluntary norms of responsible state behavior during peacetime, and the development and the implementation of practical cyber confidence building measures between states. In this context, we welcome the report of the UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) in 2015 and call upon all states to be guided by the assessments and recommendations of the report.
• We look forward to the work of the new GGE, including further discussions on how existing international law applies to cyberspace and the continued identification and promotion of voluntary norms of responsible state behavior in cyberspace.
• We support the continued development and implementation of cyber confidence building measures between states to promote trust and reduce the risk of conflict stemming from the use of ICTs.

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Promoting Digital Economy

• We recognize that digital innovations, accelerated by innovative business models and emerging technologies are a driver for socially inclusive economic growth and the creation of employment and wealth.
• We commit to foster enabling environments by adopting transparent policy and legal frameworks that focus on improving connectivity and accessibility around the world for social and economic benefit, by promoting interoperability through ICT standards.
• We continue to support ICT policies that preserve the global nature of the Internet, promote the flow of information across borders and allow Internet users to access online information, knowledge and services of their choice. We oppose data localization requirements that are unjustifiable taking into account legitimate public policy objectives.
• We endeavor to develop policy frameworks that further promote effective privacy and data protection across jurisdictions to meet high standards of privacy and data protection. We also welcome proactive approaches such as "Privacy by Design" which take privacy and protecting personal data into account throughout the engineering process.
• We recognize that protecting privacy and enhancing cybersecurity help ensure business and consumer trust and promote innovation crucial to our economic growth.
• We affirm the importance of developing and protecting intellectual property, including trade secrets. We recognize that strong intellectual property regimes foster open markets, competition, innovation and growth. We oppose generally applicable policies that require access to or transfer of source code of mass market software as a condition of market access while recognizing the legitimate interest of governments in assessing the security of these products.
• We reaffirm that no country should conduct or support ICT-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information, with the intent of providing competitive advantages to companies or commercial sectors.
• We welcome the adoption of the Charter for the Digitally Connected World.

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G7's Concerted Actions

• We commit to collaborate to maximize the potential of the digitally connected world for economic growth and to address global challenges.
• We promote digital adoption for improved quality of life, by bridging digital divides, enabling innovative business models and affordable universal and high quality access to ICTs and enhancing digital literacy.
• We endeavor to strengthen our cooperation to promote security and stability in cyberspace, including through the promotion of cooperation among national computer security incident response teams, capacity building, and awareness raising.
• We commit to enhance cybersecurity threat information sharing and to cooperate for improvement of cybersecurity of critical infrastructure such as finance, energy, transportation, and telecommunication.
• We commit to promote collaboration on research and development in security, privacy, and resilience that accelerates prosperity, protects innovations, and enhances security in cyberspace.
• We encourage more states to join the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime and support the important work done by the G7 Roma-Lyon Group's High-Tech Crime Subgroup and its 24/7 Network to improve collaboration to increase the effectiveness of investigations and prosecutions of cybercrime.
• We commit to close collaboration to promote cybersecurity at large international events such as Olympic/Paralympic Games and multilateral summit meetings when hosted within one of the G7 countries.

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Source: Official website of the 2016 G7 Ise-Shima Summit