International Law for a Digitalized World

Annual Meeting of the ROYAL NETHERLANDS SOCIETY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

The worldwide use of the internet seems to have a natural fit with both public and private international law. However, while the Internet stands for ‘transboundary’, international law is primarily based on ‘territoriality’. Key concepts that come into play then are state sovereignty and the limits thereto, and questions such as how to deal with the ‘dual use’ of the Internet, being an instrument in the hands of peaceful protest movements, but also of people engaging in cyber-espionage, of e-commerce as well as human trafficking.

Over the decades, international law adapted in many ways to the quickly evolving, multi-facetted digital reality, and one of the central questions now is whether or not concepts and ideas developed in the ‘predigital era’ still fit the digitalised world. Is international law, both public and private, ready for the digital era or has it rather been a ‘fragmented follower of developments’ and should it fundamentally rethink a number of notions and approaches?

The Royal Netherlands Society of International Law decided to put the issue on the agenda and invited four legal experts to draft a report (a ‘pre-advies’) on this. Together they deal with a long list of very fundamental questions as well as practical issues across a range of subdisciplines of international law. In doing so, they challenge both current legal practitioners, business people, NGOs and policy makers, as well those who would like to work in this field in the future.

At the 2020 Annual Meeting these authors will present their reports. The presentations will be followed by a Q & A session, via chat.

SPEAKERS

DR MARJOLEIN BUSSTRA AND WIETEKE THEEUWEN, LL.M.
International Law in the Context of Cyber Operations

PROF. MR DR YBO BURUMA
International Law and Cyberspace – Issues of Sovereignty and the Common Good

PROF. DR DAN J.B. SVANTESSON
Is International Law Ready for the (Already Ongoing) Digital Age:
Perspectives from Private and Public International Law

At 13:00 hrs CET the Annual General Meeting of the KNVIR will be held, to which only members are admitted.

The presentation of the biennial François Prize will take place immediately following the members-only part of the meeting, at approximately 13:15 hrs CET.

The presentations and discussion will be held in English.

The printed version of the Collected Papers, containing the reports, has been published by T.M.C. Asser Press in The Hague and may be ordered by non-members by applying to press@asser.nl (price € 25.00 + p.&.p.). Members have received or will receive a copy of the Collected Papers via regular mail.

PLEASE NOTE: If you wish to attend the meeting, you are required to register by sending a message to info@knvir.org no later than Tuesday 3 November 2020.