India expects landmark global pact against cybercrime to be a powerful force in the fight against menace

United Nations, Aug 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) India expects the landmark international treaty to combat cybercrime to be a very powerful force in combating the menace through international cooperation, said its delegate at the negotiations for the landmark pact.

After more than two years of negotiations, the 193 members of the world organization reached agreement on a comprehensive treaty to combat cybercrime, ranging from terrorism and hacking to financial fraud and child pornography.

“We expect that this treaty will provide a very strong basis for international cooperation, allowing us to effectively combat cyber threats while respecting the sovereignty of every country,” said Arvinder Singh, India’s representative at the negotiations.

Speaking at the closing session of the negotiating committee on Friday, he said: “This will act as a powerful deterrent against cybercriminals who abuse countries’ borders to commit cybercrime.”

Negotiators for the historic treaty reached an agreement on Thursday and the draft will be submitted to the General Assembly, where its approval is assured.

It will enter into force once 40 countries have signed it.

“The completion of this treaty is a milestone: it is the first multilateral treaty against crime in more than 20 years and the first UN treaty against cybercrime, at a time when threats in cyberspace are rapidly increasing,” said Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC), which served as secretariat for the negotiations.

The negotiating committee was established following a 2019 General Assembly resolution and spent more than two years deliberating to reach consensus, overcoming national differences and criticism from trade and human rights groups.

Singh said India is “optimistic that with the continued cooperation and commitment of all participating countries, we can conclude an agreement that not only serves our individual interest but also contributes to global well-being”.

“We assure you all that we will respond promptly to your request for cooperation,” he added.

Russia was the first to propose such a treaty, but later backed down. The US took the lead in implementing it, taking measures that a senior official said violated human rights.

Both countries agreed to the draft, although the US official said the US has not yet decided to sign it.

The 40-page draft treaty aims to create uniform standards for identifying cybercrime and oblige countries to introduce legislation against cybercrime, while creating opportunities to combat it collectively.

Countries should cooperate in prosecuting cybercriminals who commit cross-border crimes and share electronic traffic information and other data.

It also ensures that money stolen by cybercriminals from people in other countries is repaid.

The draft treaty, which lists terrorism as a point of concern, addresses “transnational organised crime, such as trafficking in persons, smuggling of persons, the illicit production of and trade in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition, drug trafficking and trafficking in cultural property”.

The pact includes measures against child pornography, child exploitation and revenge porn: the distribution of intimate images without consent.

Hacking, disrupting transmissions, blocking access to the internet, installing malware and stealing data are other crimes that fall under the broad scope of the draft treaty.

Under the pact, countries can ask other governments or internet service providers for data or evidence to investigate crimes under their laws.

There is opposition to the treaty from a number of groups, who claim that it allows for invasion of privacy and promotes surveillance of individuals or organizations.

Global Network Initiative, an organization representing several major tech companies including Google, Zoom, Microsoft and Meta, complained that the treaty “allows pervasive cross-border surveillance without requiring safeguards necessary” under international human rights law and rights-respecting practices within data protection frameworks.

Human Rights Watch and the Electronic Frontier Foundation said the pact would “expand government surveillance and facilitate cross-border human rights abuses.”

(Arul Louis can be contacted at [email protected] and followed at @arulouis)

Source: IANS

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