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U.N. exec: Cyberwar could be 'worse than tsunami'

Proposal for a global "cyberpeace" treaty has met "a lot of resistance" from industrialized nations, says head of U.N.'s International Telecommunication Union.

David Meyer Special to CNET News.com
 
Hamadoun Touré U.N.

International cyberwar would be "worse than a tsunami" and should be averted by a global cybersecurity peace treaty, according to the head of the International Telecommunication Union.

Hamadoun Touré, who has been secretary-general of the U.N. agency since 1999 and is up for re-election in a few weeks' time, has targeted cybersecurity issues in his electoral pledges. Speaking at a London roundtable on Thursday, he said he had proposed such a treaty this year, but it had met "a lot of resistance" from industrialized nations.

"My dream, I said in Davos this year, is that I would like to have a cyberpeace treaty," Touré said. "Some people think it's a sin. People who think they are secure don't want anyone else to talk about it. I say there is no [online] superpower."

Read more of "ITU head: Cyberwar could be 'worse than tsunami'" at ZDNet UK.