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LAWFARE – The U.N. Cybercrime Convention Should Not Become a Tool for Political Control or the Watering Down of Human Rights

Negotiations for a U.N. cybercrime convention have entered a critical stage. From Jan. 9 to Jan. 20, hundreds of delegates from over 150 states met in Vienna for more than 100 hours of exhausting negotiations during the fourth round of discussions of the U.N. Ad Hoc Committee mandated by the U.N. General Assembly.

Enhanced cooperation is key to combating cybercrime. The UN Convention could, together with the Budapest Convention, become an important tool to facilitate such international cooperation.

But this kind of cooperation requires that the “crimes” included in the convention are commonly understood and recognized by all parties involved. It also requires the introduction of robust human rights safeguards in order to limit the risks of misuse or abuse, and to create trust among States.

CBDF Senior Fellow Karine Bannelier, who participates in the negotiations on behalf of the CBDF, in the group of multi stakeholders, shares some key takeaways in her Lawfare article.

Read the Lawfare article here.

 

These statements are attributable only to the author, and their publication here does not necessarily reflect the view of the Cross-Border Data Forum or any participating individuals or organizations.