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UN Approves Cybercrime Treaty Despite Major Tech, Privacy Concerns
The treaty would allow any country to request technology firms to aid in cybercrime investigations and preserve data about their users — potentially imperiling penetration testers and security researchers, among others.
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A United Nations committee has advanced the final draft of a treaty intended to combat cross-border cybercriminal organizations, but opponents warn that it contains few safeguards for human rights and could be used by repressive governments to prosecute journalists, cybersecurity researchers, and protesters.
If adopted by the UN General Assembly, the UN Convention Against Cybercrime would require any nation that signed the treaty to make it a criminal offense to "access ... an information or communications technology (ICT) system without right" or to intercept data or communications. In addition, the treaty would require that signatories have a mechanism to preserve stored data and some components of traffic data, according to the draft.
The treaty, passed on Aug. 8, will require a wide variety of companies — financial services, travel, technology, and telecommunications firms — not only to support domestic law enforcement, but to help with requests from treaty signatories, says Nick Ashton-Hart, head of the Cybersecurity Tech Accord delegation to the negotiations.
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