Cyber Operations in South America

Abstract

South American countries have been leading on global international peace and disarmament initiatives, but the analysis of cyber operations frameworks across four of the most developed States in the region (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia) shows the need for more transparency in how cyber operations are regulated in these countries, especially around their commitment to existing cyber norms. At the same time, lack of an incremental approach and lack of a better regulatory framework for cyber operations performed by these countries also present a risk. These tasks are currently performed mostly by their intelligence services with few legal safeguards, without proper political authorisation, and blurry boundaries with law enforcement agencies. These elements create a high risk for escalation in case of cyber-attacks, and need to be urgently addressed by those States.