An analysis of the cyberspace securitization process

Abstract

Cyberspace manifests itself as a new domain for power relations as different actors use it to pursue their interests. Because it is endowed with a deterritorializing logic - in which multiple entities can act anonymously - cyberspace defies traditional conceptions of national security and defense, as digital flows cross different territories. Considering the insertion of the basic state infrastructure in the cyber domain, encompassing banking, telecommunications, transport and military systems, there is a growing dependence of society on cyberspace. Such dependency can be exploited by a myriad of international actors. In this context, through the conception of the Copenhagen School regarding the process of recognition of threats by securitizing agents, this article investigates the process of securitization of cyberspace by analyzing the white defense books of Brazil, Germany and France.