UN Cybercrime Treaty Draws Criticism from Human Rights Groups and Tech Corporations

August 6, 2024

UN member states are seeking to finalize a treaty on the fight against cybercrime, but they face criticism from rights groups and Big Tech [Image credit: Daniel SLIM / AFP/File]

Cited article by France 24 (AFP)

HRRC joins human rights groups and tech companies, urging the United Nations to ensure that the United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime is outlined with the human rights safeguards necessary to prevent the treaty from being misused as a means of government repression that infringes upon fundamental human rights, including freedom of speech.

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AFP reports that the UN is in the process of completing the draft of the United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime, a treaty that strives to facilitate worldwide cooperation to prevent and address cybercrime, including child digital sexual exploitation and financial fraud cases, and of which an outline was first introduced by Russian diplomats in 2017. As noted by AFP, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has voiced concerns about clauses in the cybercrime convention that may fail to adhere to global human rights guidelines, which is especially troubling given the context of existing cybercrime regulations that work to suppress free speech and repress dissidents in some regions.

In addition, AFP observes that critics of the UN’s cybercrime convention have pointed out that the treaty’s scope of cybercrime—crimes executed through communication and information technology systems—is too broad and expansive. According to the news agency, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, Tirana Hassan, has warned that the cybercrime treaty’s wide-ranging definition could drive governments to scrutinize and target sexual minorities as well as government dissenters and protestors, where the treaty could potentially operate as a means of international surveillance. Furthermore, AFP states that while both human rights organizations and Big Tech corporations have leveled criticism against the treaty, Russia’s delegation has cautioned against excessive scrutiny of the convention’s human rights clauses, stating that this may substantially hinder efforts of global collaboration.