The United States plans to support a UN cybercrime treaty despite concerns about its potential misuse.
The United States will support the convention in the upcoming vote.
An important vote is being prepared on a new draft of the UN Cybercrime Convention, in which the U.S. government is expected to provide its support, despite criticism from organizations advocating for digital rights and human rights. This convention represents the first binding legislation from the UN on cybersecurity, and its supporters seek to establish a global framework that allows states to investigate and prevent cybercrime.
However, several experts, including representatives from Cisco, warn that the treaty does not adequately protect fundamental human rights. Additionally, some activists argue that this agreement could enable authoritarian regimes to abuse their power, expanding their capacity to surveillance and control the population.
U.S. officials have indicated that there were consultations with allied countries and that they reviewed hundreds of comments from non-governmental organizations before opting for a consensus. One of the reasons the U.S. government supports the treaty is the opportunity to influence future amendments and updates, which would be more manageable if they back the treaty from its early stages.
Recently, a group of Democratic senators expressed their concerns, noting that the treaty could "legitimate the efforts of authoritarian countries" to censor and surveil Internet users and political activists. In a joint letter addressed to senior officials, they mentioned that while the administration's efforts to guide this convention toward a less harmful impact are commendable, more needs to be done to prevent such actions from being justified.
One of the main concerns of digital rights groups is that the treaty does not focus on crimes committed against computer systems, such as ransomware. Instead, the legislation emphasizes digital communication systems, which could be used to extend police surveillance powers, rather than protecting Internet users and businesses from cybercrime.