鈥淭he regulation of critical infrastructure is an under-explored topic鈥�
How do we protect society鈥檚 digital lifelines from sabotage and manipulation, 鈥攁nd what does the law say about this? These were some of the key questions addressed by lawyers, researchers, and security experts at the conference 'The Hybrid Battlefield of Fibre Optic Communication Cables'.
Main content
Fibre optic cables carry over 95 percent of all electronic communication worldwide. They are invisible to most of us, yet indispensable for everything from emails and video meetings to banking transactions and national security. At the same time, they are vulnerable to both physical sabotage and state surveillance.
鈥淭he cables are attractive targets for both intelligence services and malicious actors. This makes it essential to have an adequate legal framework governing the use and protection of this infrastructure,鈥� explains .
Together with his colleagues and , Mella organized the conference hosted by the Faculty of Law on June 17.
Complex and Underexplored
Mella is a postdoctoral fellow at the Faculty of Law in Bergen, where he works on legal approaches to so-called hybrid threats. At a time of increasing geopolitical tension and technological complexity, he emphasizes that the law must keep pace with developments.
鈥淭he legal framework must clarify responsibilities, authorize measures, and set limits on state action. However, when it comes to securing fibre cables and bulk data collection, the law is complex and partly underexplored. That鈥檚 why we need more research and interdisciplinary insight,鈥� he says
Shared Challenges 鈥� shared Solutions
The conference brought together 35 international participants from the public and private sectors and academia.
鈥淥ur aim was to create an arena for sharing knowledge and discussing the national and international regulation of this critical digital infrastructure. For both academic and practical reasons, it is urgent to address the questions that arise in this context鈥�, Mella continues.
The conference highlighted that many of the challenges are shared across national borders, and that the approaches to solving them are often similar.
鈥淚t was interesting to see how comparable countries have adopted quite similar approaches to both securing cables and regulating state bulk data collection from them. This provides a solid foundation for further research and collaboration in the years to come,鈥� says Mella.
More information about what was discussed can be found here.
The conference gathered around 35 researchers and security experts from a range of countries. Here, the participants who contributed with presentations and panel discussions are pictured together with the organizers. From left: Professor Olav Lysne (Simula, Oslo), Dr. Armin St盲hli (University of Z眉rich), Dr. Johannes L. Mella (University of Bergen), Professor Jan-Jaap Oerlemans (University of Leiden), Dr. Alexander Lott (University of Troms酶), Professor Birgit Feldtmann (Aalborg University), Dr. Thorsten Wetzling (Interface, Berlin), Professor Erling Johannes Husab酶 (University of Bergen), Professor Njord Wegge (Norwegian Defence University College, Oslo), Associate Professor Youri van Logchem (University of Troms酶), and Professor J酶rgen Aall (University of Bergen). 脴ystein Jensen from the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (panel chair in the first panel) and Knut Einar Skodvin from the University of Bergen (organizer) were absent.