Information Warfare, International Law, and the Changing Battlefield
The advancement of technology in the contemporary era has facilitated the emergence of information warfare, which includes the deployment of information as a weapon against an adversary. This is done using a number of tactics such as the use of media and social media to spread propaganda and disinformation against an adversary as well as the adoption of software hacking techniques to spread viruses and malware into the strategically important computer systems of an adversary either to steal confidential data or to damage the adversary’s security system. Due to the intangible nature of the damage caused by the information warfare operations, it becomes challenging for international law to regulate the information warfare operations. The unregulated nature of information operations allows information warfare to be used effectively by states and nonstate actors to gain advantage over their adversaries. Information warfare also enhances the lethality of hybrid warfare. Therefore, it is the need of the hour to arrange a new convention or devise a new set of rules to regulate the sphere of information warfare to avert the potential damage that it can cause to international peace and security.
Recommended Citation: Dr. Waseem Ahmad Qureshi, Information Warfare, International Law, and the Changing Battlefield, 43 Fordham Int'l L.J. 901 (2020).