The UN has taken a significant step in the global battle against cybercrime by unanimously adopting the Global Cybercrime Treaty. This agreement aims to establish an international legal framework to address cybercrime and facilitate data exchange among countries. The treaty was approved on August 8 and is scheduled to be voted on in the UN General Assembly during the fall session.
Originally proposed by Russia in 2017, the treaty seeks to set world standards for addressing transnational cybercrime. Despite initial doubts and debates within the international community since work on the treaty began in 2019, the document has now been adopted following three years of negotiations that culminated in a two-week session.
However, concerns have been raised by human rights organizations and major tech companies regarding provisions that would allow law enforcement agencies to request electronic evidence and data from internet providers in other countries. Access Now highlighted the lack of adequate human rights guarantees in the treaty and warned that it could potentially lead to increased surveillance and erosion of trust in digital technologies.
Despite these reservations, many believe that UN member countries have accepted the treaty on the basis that “a bad agreement is better than no agreement.” Prior to this global treaty, only regional agreements such as the Budapest Convention existed, which had not been signed by China, Russia, India, and Brazil.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has underscored the significance of the adopted treaty, emphasizing that it provides a common framework for the global community to combat cybercrime effectively moving forward.