Legal advisers from all continents convene in The Hague this week to discuss how peacetime international law applies in cyber space. The Tallinn Manual 2.0 consultations will bring together over 50 states.
“The number and scope of the participating nations is truly remarkable,” said Professor Michael Schmitt, director of the Tallinn 2.0 project. “Hearing the views of States is invaluable to the International Group of Experts that is labouring to prepare the Manual.”
The Tallinn Manual is the most influential handbook for legal advisers dealing with cyber issues. The second considerably expanded and updated edition of the Manual will deal with the most common and frequent cyber incidents that states encounter, those that take place every day beyond the battlefield. The Tallinn Manual process is facilitated by the Tallinn-based NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence and the Manual authored by 20 leading international legal experts. Tallinn Manual 2.0 will be published by Cambridge University Press in late 2016.
The Hague Process is a cooperative effort of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. Designed to ensure the transparency of the Tallinn 2.0 process, the consultations ensure States have a voice in this effort to set forth the international law that governs their activities in cyberspace. In April 2015, the process commenced with a similar meeting and private sector has also been consulted. Additionally, a peer review process involving over 50 academics provides further input into the Manual’s completion.