Key Points
- Around 60 countries are signing a new UN cybercrime treaty in Vietnam.
- The treaty is designed to improve international cooperation against online crime. It’s facing heavy criticism from human rights groups and tech companies.
- Critics fear its vague language could be used to suppress free speech and expand surveillance.
- The choice of Vietnam as the host has also drawn criticism due to its human rights record.
Around 60 countries, including the United States and the European Union, are signing a landmark UN cybercrime treaty this weekend in Vietnam. The UN is hailing the convention as a “powerful” new tool to fight the global scourge of online crime, but it’s also facing a storm of criticism from human rights activists and major tech companies.
“Cyberspace has become fertile ground for criminals,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the signing ceremony. He called the new treaty a way to “strengthen our collective defences.” The pact covers a wide range of offenses, from phishing and ransomware to online hate speech.
However, critics are warning that authoritarian governments could easily abuse the treaty’s vague definitions of crime to suppress free speech and expand surveillance. A coalition of tech companies, including Meta and Microsoft, has even labeled the pact a “surveillance treaty.” They are worried it will make it easier for governments to share personal data and could even be used to criminalize ethical hackers seeking to uncover security flaws.
Adding to the controversy is the choice of Vietnam as the host for the event. The country has a poor human rights record and has been criticized for its own online censorship.
Despite the backlash, the treaty is moving forward. It will officially come into force once it has been ratified by 40 of the signatory nations, a process that could take some time.
