For nearly three years, Reading Law School has been working with the governments of Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Singapore, as well as Cyber Law International, to offer training for diplomats, military officers, legal advisers, and other government officials on the international law governing cyberspace. Initially, that training was provided online due to the COVID pandemic. In 2022, however, two Reading Law School professors have taken the program, which is certified as Executive Education by the School, on the road.
The training consists of four programs. The flagship course is the Executive Course, a broad survey of relevant law that ranges from general law subjects like sovereignty and intervention to specialized legal regimes such as diplomatic law and international humanitarian law. Directed by Professor Mike Schmitt, with Professor Marko Milanovic also serving as an instructor, the course was offered virtually for Southeast Asia in January, Africa in August, and the Middle East and Africa in September. In October, the team traveled to the Dominican Republic to conduct an in-person course for officials from members of the Organization of American States. The following month, the course was offered in Ghana for African officials. Finally, in December, the program closed with an in-person course in Singapore for members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The second course examines how international human rights law governs activities in cyberspace and is directed by Professor Marko Milanovic. It is a very deep dive into the human rights implications of cyber operations. The course was offered virtually twice, once for officials from the Americas and the second for those from Africa.
Reading Law School also certified two regional Alumni Seminars conducted by Professors Milanovic and Schmitt and a Cyber Law International instructor for previous graduates of the aforementioned courses. The first was conducted with the collaboration of the Organization of American States in the Dominican Republic, with the second in Singapore at that nation’s new Cyber Security Agency’s training facility.
Finally, the program includes bespoke events. For example, a specialized Women in Cyber seminar was offered to officials worldwide this year.
Today, the program is widely considered to be the global gold standard in cyber law capacity-building. It continues in 2023, with the first course being an Executive Course offered in collaboration with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; to be held in North Macedonia in February, the course will be open to officials from the Balkan States.