In this research paper, Marie Louise Hurel examines accountability in cyberspace, drawing lessons from and for Latin America.
In an increasingly privatised cybersecurity market in which governments heavily rely on third-party solutions, cyber accountability should be seen increasingly as co-responsibility. However, when observing the actions of governments in Latin America, the first section of the paper showed how one should more carefully position the discussion about state responsibility and accountability within the historical and cultural background of a particular region.
The second section explored how different countries have sought to enact and showcase positive accountability. It also highlighted that the term accountability should not be taken as an absolute goal, but rather in domestic policymaking there are internal challenges that might emerge when accountability comes with greater political visibility of the cybersecurity agenda.
The third part of the paper outlined some of the challenges and blockers to the operationalisation of accountability in the region – both from intragovernmental incentives to the delegation of cybersecurity to the perpetration of human rights abuses through intrusive commercial cyber tools in Latin America.
