The Role of Big Tech Corporations in Military Defence and Civilian Protection: A Case Study of the Russo-Ukrainian War

This paper examines the role of Big Tech corporations in international security - more specifically, in military defence and civilian protection. It investigates the role of Big Tech corporations in conflicts by examining one case: the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Researchers in international security and international relations have recently started considering how multinational corporations impact global power balances, international governance and security. Governments and international governmental organizations such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) systematically and strategically cooperate with Big Techs to increase their technology and innovation capacities, capabilities and effectiveness in defence. With technological sovereignty and the adoption of state-of-the-art technologies providing political, economic and military advantages, states and coalitions of governments have boosted their cooperation with the Big Tech industry and have increasingly invested in research and development programmes. Against this backdrop, this paper identifies and examines the main areas where Big Tech corporations have contributed to Ukrainian cyber resilience and civilian protection, using data collected and examined through a content analysis of academic and grey literature and the qualitative analysis of data gathered through four semi-structured interviews. The paper argues that there are six main areas where Big Tech corporations have contributed to Ukrainian cyber resilience and civilian protection: (1) providing cyber threat intelligence, analysis and advice; (2) offering technical support and cyber security solutions; (3) providing assistance and backup when critical or digital infrastructure is disrupted; (4) countering cyber espionage; (5) countering disinformation; and (6) protecting civilians' physical safety and contributing to humanitarian assistance.