The UK and France have announced an extension to their “Pall Mall Process” cyber partnership. The two countries, said the UK government, will now initiate a consultation on the risks associated with the widespread and uncontrolled use of commercial cyber intrusion tools. The review will be conducted under the framework of the aforesaid Pall Mall Process, an international multi-stakeholder dialogue aimed at crafting collective responses to systemic cybersecurity threats.
“Through this consultation, we will invite stakeholders to share views on good practice relating to commercial cyber intrusion capabilities (CCICs) across three stakeholder groups,” said the governments, including states, experts from civil society and industry organisations. Those seeking to participate in the consultation, it added, can register their interest here.
Pall Mall Process origins
Established following a meeting in February 2024, the Pall Mall Process brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to devise joint solutions to knotty cybersecurity challenges. The origins of the partnership can be traced back to discussions held at the 2023 Paris Peace Forum, and build upon principles set forth in the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace and directives from the 2023 French-British Leaders Summit,
Additionally, earlier this year, the UK and France agreed to engage with a global community of stakeholders to explore policy measures and novel practices designed to mitigate the threats through the Pall Mall Process.
It was in line with their commitment to maintaining a cyberspace that is free, open, peaceful, stable, secure, resilient, and accessible.
Both nations proposed to enhance cyber resilience and capabilities worldwide, which complements their efforts within various multilateral forums, including the United Nations, to foster international, multi-stakeholder cooperation on these issues.
In May, both countries confirmed their dedication to promoting security and stability in cyberspace, committing to uphold a normative framework that aligns with international law governing state conduct in cyberspace.
This commitment underscored their collaboration to enhance an open, inclusive, unified, and secure cyberspace environment.
AUKUS AI cooperation deepens
In a separate announcement, the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory revealed that the AUKUS nations have tested artificial intelligence (AI)-driven uncrewed aerial vehicles that enable a human operator to locate, disable and destroy targets on the ground.
AUKUS is a defence and security partnership between Australia, the UK, and the US, aimed at supporting both Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security and the rules-based international order.
The trial is part of a series of experiments named AUKUS Resilient and Autonomous Artificial Intelligence Technologies (RAAIT). It was conducted during the annual US-hosted multinational Project Convergence experimentation exercise.
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