ABSTRACT

The protection of cultural property constitutes one of the fundamental domains of international humanitarian law. However, the advent of modern era of cyber warfare and the digital technologies has generated novel legal challenges. This article examines the applicability of existing international legal frameworks, primarily the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its additional protocols, to three categories of heritage: physical, digitized, and digitally created cultural property. A historical-legal analysis demonstrates that cultural property has consistently been a deliberate target of destruction and looting during armed conflicts, prompting the gradual evolution of international law from the Lieber Code to the Hague and Geneva Conventions. While the digital transformation has significantly increased the accessibility of cultural heritage, it has simultaneously created heightened risks of cyber-threats, manipulation, and data destruction. The article argues that, notwithstanding the 1954 Hague Convention does not explicitly address “digital” or “digitized” property, an evolutionary interpretation allows such assets to be considered analogous to archives and repositories of cultural memory, thereby subjecting them to the existing regime of international legal protection. This approach is consistent with state practice, UNESCO initiatives, and the principle established in international law that cultural heritage constitutes a common value of humankind.

In conclusion, the study reflects that the protection of digital and digitized cultural heritage has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges of contemporary international law. While existing treaties provide a foundational framework, effective safeguarding requires not only interpretative development of current norms and state practice but also the creation of new, universal, and binding legal standards to ensure the preservation of humanity’s cultural identity in the digital age. 

Keywords: International Cyberoperations, Digital cultural property, International Humanitarian Law 

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