Politics UN states adopt first agreement against cybercrime
Despite criticism from human rights activists, the member states of the United Nations adopted the first agreement to combat cybercrime on Thursday.
09.08.2024, 03:19
SDA
After three years of negotiations, the chair of the committee drafting the agreement, Algerian diplomat Faouzia Boumaiza Mebarki, said: "I consider the documents (...) adopted."
The agreement will now be submitted to the General Assembly for formal adoption. It will enter into force once it has been ratified by 40 states. The committee to draft the agreement was set up despite opposition from the US and Europe after Russia made an initial push in 2017.
The agreement aims to "prevent and combat cybercrime more efficiently and effectively", particularly with regard to child sexual abuse and money laundering. Opponents of the agreement - human rights activists and large tech companies - criticize that its scope is too broad. They fear that it could amount to a global surveillance agreement and be used for repression.
The text that has now been adopted stipulates that, when investigating crimes punishable by at least four years in prison under national law, a member state can ask the authorities of another country for electronic evidence related to the crime. It should also be possible to request data from an internet provider.
Human rights activists fear that states that criminalize homosexuality or governments that take action against dissidents or journalists could take advantage of this.
