The Private Sector in Cyberspace: Threats and Risks to International (In)Security

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The private sector owns over 90% of cyberspace, giving tech firms unprecedented power in geopolitical affairs traditionally confined to the agenda of state actors. Cases in point are Microsoft opening a United Nations (UN) Affairs Office, Facebook proposing a 'global digital currency', 'geopolitics' being Apple's most common theme in 2022 company filings, and Big Tech playing a significant role in the Russia-Ukraine war. The increasing, and arguably inevitable, presence of the private sector in IS has created a complex relationship between the state and non-state actors, whereby a blurring of responsibilities in cyberspace has complicated the public-private interactions required to tackle IS challenges. Crucially, the national interests of the state have to be balanced against the business imperatives of market-driven, ethically ambiguous, largely unregulated private corporations. The question this thesis seeks to problematise and evaluate is: What are the threats and risks of the private sector's cyber agency for International Security? The approach will be qualitative and policy-driven, with an aim to inform methodologies for national risk assessment exercises as well as regulations for the private sector in cyberspace.