Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)

Who Rules Cyberspace? The Microsoft Approach to Cyber Diplomacy

The video examines Microsoft’s self‑styled "digital diplomacy," a private‑sector approach to shaping cyber norms as cyberspace becomes a contested domain of conflict. Director John Herring explains that Microsoft moves beyond traditional policy advice to actively engage in multilateral forums, offering technical insight on threat landscapes while grounding its work in human‑rights and freedom of expression. Key insights include the company’s dual role of supplying threat intelligence and attribution that informs government decisions, and its participation in UN norm‑setting processes where it does not dictate policy but provides an informed perspective. Herring stresses that commercial interests and broader societal security are intertwined, arguing that a trusted digital environment benefits both customers and Microsoft’s cloud business. Examples cited range from Microsoft’s attribution reports—distinguishing technical, legal, and political attributions—to its concrete actions during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, such as migrating government data to the cloud, mitigating wiper malware, and publishing analyses linking cyber activity to military campaigns. These efforts illustrate how private expertise can complement state capabilities while navigating geopolitical sensitivities. The discussion underscores a shifting landscape where private firms like Microsoft are essential actors in cyber statecraft, influencing norm development, attribution practices, and the overall governance of a synthetic domain. Their involvement reshapes risk calculations for both governments and businesses, signaling that future cyber stability will depend on sustained public‑private collaboration.