UN cybercrime treaty draft sparks privacy, human rights concerns

Several cybersecurity, privacy, and human rights advocacy groups are pushing back against provisions against the imminent United Nations Cybercrime Treaty, which so far details over 30 new cybercrime offenses without much consideration to human rights and free speech following Russia's new proposal barring the investigation of cybercrimes within its jurisdiction, according to The Register. While the U.S. and countries in the European Union expressed opposition to Russia's proposal, several democratic countries have become willing to compromise by amending the proposal by last April, said Electronic Frontier Foundation Policy Director for Global Privacy Katitza Rodriguez. Rodriguez also noted the draft's endorsement of "special investigative techniques" that would permit the removal or replacement of network-transmitted data. Meanwhile, Epicenter.works Policy Advisor Tanja Fachanthaler has noted the importance of ensuring that government hacking will not be condoned by the treaty. "We're not against more modern law enforcement techniques because we understand modern law enforcement in response to new developments in this field of cybercrime is of course important and necessary. But the present draft goes far beyond that simple goal," said Fachanthaler.