The rise of companies in the cyber era and the pursuant shift in national security

Abstract

ABSTRACT As the cyber era ushers in a new reality nationally and internationally, national security is transformed aswell. We aim to theorise the several levels at which that changes unfolds. First, we explain how the unique features and characteristics of the cyber domain are different from how national security had been traditionally conceptualised. Second, we delve into how the very nature of national security changed. Third, we investigate a critical difference: the key role of companies in the cyber domain, a role that is unprecedented quantitatively or qualitatively in the physical domains. In the cyber realm, states use private companies and organisations to build the edifice of national defence. Governments use companies for a large portion of their cyberoperations and digitally-based services. With such concentration ofinformation in their hands companies serve many of the function straditionally handled by governments, even in national security, which is normally considered a public good. The case of Meta in the 2022 War in Ukraine provides a plethora of empirical evidence in addition to evidence from WannaCry, Stuxnet and SingHealth. Finally, we discuss possible future trajectories for national security as the digital domain further pervades all aspects of life, politics and international relations.