The US plans to support the controversial UN Convention on Cybercrime despite fears it could be abused
- The latest draft of the UN Cybercrime Convention is facing an important vote
- The US will support the treaty
- Human rights advocates say the convention will make it easier for authoritarian regimes to expand surveillance
There will be a key vote on a new draft of the UN Cybercrime Convention, and the Biden administration will reportedly support the treaty despite criticism from digital rights groups and human rights activists.
The treaty is the first piece of legally binding UN legislation related to cybersecurity, and its supporters hope to use it to establish a global framework that states can use to investigate and prevent cybercrime.
However, Cisco does not think alone the treaty is flawed to adequately protect basic human rights, but some activists have said this treaty will actually make it easier for authoritarian regimes to abuse their power and expand police and surveillance.
Extensive consultation
US officials confirmed that consultations had taken place with allied states and reviewed hundreds of written submissions from non-governmental organizations, ultimately deciding to “stand by the consensus.”
A contributing factor to US support was the need to influence subsequent changes and updates to the treaty, which would be made easier by support from the early stages.
A group of Democratic senators recently wrote that the treaty could “legitimize efforts by authoritarian countries” to censor and surveil Internet users and political activists.
“While the executive branch’s efforts to move this treaty in a less harmful direction are commendable, more must be done to prevent the convention from being used to justify such actions,” the senators said in a joint letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. General, and others.
One of the main concerns of digital rights organizations is that the treaty does not focus on crimes against computer systems, such as ransomware. Instead, the legislation focuses on digital communications systems and could be used as an extension of police surveillance powers rather than protecting internet users and businesses from cybercrime.
Via Politics
