More than 60 UN members sign cybercrime treaty in Vietnam amid rights concerns
The treaty’s broad language has raised fears that it could lead to abuses of power and enable cross-border repression of government critics
Countries signed their first UN treaty targeting cybercrime in Hanoi on Saturday, despite opposition from an unlikely band of tech companies and rights groups warning of expanded state surveillance.
More than 60 countries were seen to sign the declaration on Saturday, which means it will go into force once ratified by those states.
“Every day, sophisticated scams destroy families, steal migrants and drain billions of dollars from our economy... We need a strong, connected global response,” he said at the opening ceremony in Vietnam’s capital on Saturday.
The UN Convention against Cybercrime was first proposed by Russian diplomats in 2017 and approved by consensus last year after lengthy negotiations.