One wrong letter: UN moves to curb cybercrime with new convention | UN News

Submitted ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨cm0002@lemmings.world⁩ to ⁨cybersecurity@infosec.pub⁩

https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/10/1166175

In December 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime — the first international treaty on criminal justice in more than two decades.

The adoption of the document was the result of five years of negotiations among UN Member States, with the participation of experts, civil society, academia, and the private sector.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the adoption of the Convention “a decisive step” in global efforts to ensure safety online.

On 25 October, the Convention will be opened for signature at an official ceremony in Hanoi, Viet Nam. It will enter into force 90 days after ratification by 40 States.

Global response to global threat

The new document establishes a common international framework for combating cybercrime. It introduces unified definitions, investigation standards, and mechanisms for assisting victims — including compensation, restitution, and removal of illegal content.

States will implement these measures in accordance with their national legislation but within agreed international principles. And perhaps, with this Convention, a new era will begin — one in which a single wrong letter in a website address will no longer cost you everything.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) leads the UN response to cybercrime with training and support to countries across the world.

The Vienna-based agency draws upon its specialized expertise on criminal justice systems to provide technical assistance in prevention and awareness-raising, legislative reform, revamping of law enforcement capabilities, international cooperation, forensic support as well as in data collection, research and analysis on cybercrime.

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Kissaki@programming.dev ⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Looking at the US in particular right now, I’m not confident it would be used on good conscience. Who knows what they want to prosecute. Justice frameworks can only work with confidence in justice.

This explanation sounds fine. I haven’t seen an actual link to the content of the agreed upon convention across the linked sites.

The Wikipedia article on United Nations Convention against Cybercrime paints a much more concerning picture.

The convention names four types of crimes in particular, which human rights advocates argue are framed too broadly, applicable to any crime committed using an information or communications technology. Many of the crimes it would apply to have only a thin connection to the kind of serious cybercrime, like ransomware and child exploitation, that motivated the convention.

Several organizations highlight the way the convention’s language about human rights protections are largely suggestions left to the discretion of member states, including those with a record of human rights abuses.

Let’s hope it’s a useful framework countries will still make assessments and restrictions on depending on who they’re dealing and working together with. I’m still concerned though.

Why is this community not allowing English language comments when it’s seemingly obviously in English?

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