The Legal Status of 'Civilian Hackers' under International Humanitarian Law

• Autorzy: Michał Byczyński

Warianty tytułu

Status prawny cywilnych hakerów w świetle międzynarodowego prawa humanitarnego

• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

In response to the rising trend of civilian hackers participating in cyber conflicts, the International Committee of the Red Cross has recently issued guidelines regulating their conduct. This article navigates the intricate legal landscape surrounding civilians who actively participate in cyber hostilities, exploring the concept of direct participation in hostilities (DPH) in the context of cyber warfare. Given the unique nature of cyber warfare, the article highlights the need for a nuanced and context-specific approach in determining the legal status of civilians involved in cyber hostilities. It underscores the importance of distinguishing between actions linked to an ongoing armed conflict and those that occur independently. The piece discusses the challenges in defining civilians in cyber warfare, the principles of distinction and proportionality, the criteria for qualifying a civilian as a "direct participant of hostilities" and the concept of continuous combat function (CCF), which distinguishes civilians continuously involved in cyber hostilities from those sporadically or ad hoc engaged. The article also delves into the temporal challenges in cyber operations and the "revolving door" concept, which complicates the application of DPH status in cyber warfare. (original abstract)

W odpowiedzi na rosnącą liczbę cywilnych hakerów uczestniczących w różnego rodzaju aktywnościach cybernetycznych, Międzynarodowy Komitet Czerwonego Krzyża opublikował wytyczne dotyczące podejmowanych przez nich tego rodzaju działań. W niniejszym artykule omówiono regulacje prawne dotyczące cywili, którzy biorą udział w działaniach zbrojnych w cyberprzestrzeni, opierając analizę przede wszystkim na koncepcji bezpośredniego uczestnictwa w działaniach zbrojnych w kontekście wojny cybernetycznej. Ze względu na szczególny charakter wojny cybernetycznej, podkreślono potrzebę zastosowania kontekstowego i indywidualnego podejścia celem określenia statusu prawnego cywili zaangażowanych w działania zbrojne w cyberprzestrzeni. W artykule omówiono trudności w definiowaniu cywili w wojnie cybernetycznej, zasady rozróżnienia i proporcjonalności, kryteria kwalifikacji cywila jako "bezpośredniego uczestnika działań zbrojnych" oraz koncepcję ciągłej funkcji bojowej, która odróżnia cywilów stale zaangażowanych w działania zbrojne w cyberprzestrzeni od tych działających okresowo czy ad hoc. Poruszono również problemy związane z aspektami czasowymi operacji w cyberprzestrzeni i koncepcję "revolving door", która utrudnia precyzyjne określenie statusu prawnego cywilnych hakerów w kontekście wojny cybernetycznej. (abstrakt oryginalny)

Słowa kluczowe

EN

Cyberwar; Computer hacking; International humanitarian law; War in Ukraine

PL

Cyberwojna; Hakerstwo; Międzynarodowe prawo humanitarne; Wojna w Ukrainie

• Czasopismo: Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Iuridica
• Rocznik: 2024
• Numer: nr 106 Russian Aggression Against Ukraine: The Fall and Rise of International Law
• Strony: 97--109

Twórcy

autor

Michał Byczyński

• University of Łódź

Bibliografia

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Identyfikatory

DOI

https://doi.org/10.18778/0208-6069.106.06