In Hanoi, UN member states agreed on a new convention against cybercrime. The document provides for data sharing between countries and mutual extradition of suspects and will enter into force after ratification by at least 40 states.
In Hanoi, UN member states agreed on a new convention against cybercrime. The document provides for data sharing between countries and mutual extradition of suspects and will enter into force after ratification by at least 40 states.
According to Mezha.media with reference to Nikkei Asia, the convention has already been signed by 65 countries. It obliges to criminalize ten categories of offenses (from unauthorized access to systems and interception of traffic to data falsification) and to provide evidence upon request by other states, including e-mail correspondence. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the initiative a "global collective response" to digital threats, and a separate section provides for assistance to developing countries in strengthening cybersecurity.
Skepticism is voiced by industry and human rights activists. The Cybersecurity Tech Accord, an association of technology companies, warns that vague wording could give governments leverage to demand access to encrypted systems or force providers to hand over data without users’ knowledge. Human Rights Watch, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and 17 other organizations criticize the possibility of transferring personal data outside the scope of specific investigations and without sufficient human rights safeguards; the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights calls for clearer procedures for searches and seizure of digital evidence to avoid prosecution for online views or expressions.
The context of the signing has also sparked debate: the ceremony was hosted by Vietnam, where human rights activists say pressure on bloggers and activists continues; in a joint statement, they warned that the vague rules could be used against peaceful forms of online protest. At the same time, supporters of the convention emphasize the economic damage from cybercrime - Vietnamese President Luong Quang called the fight a "new war" that costs the world trillions of dollars every year.
This document is the result of many years of debate within the UN on uniform rules for interaction with digital evidence. The key implementation nodes lie in the sphere of national laws: how exactly countries will define the “limits of cooperation”, what procedural filters will operate for requests from foreign agencies, whether end-to-end encryption of user services will be preserved and whether independent oversight of international data exchange will be introduced. Ratification by 40 states will activate the convention, after which its real impact will be determined by detailed procedures and court practice.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how the Ministries of Digital Affairs joined the global regulation of artificial intelligence — the Council of Europe Framework Convention was officially signed in Strasbourg, which defines the rules for the use of AI in accordance with human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
