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The Biden administration will support the controversial UN Cybercrime Treaty.
The White House has announced that the U.S. is set to support a new U.N. convention on cybercrime when it comes to a vote this week. The decision was made after long discussions in the White House and other government agencies. The convention has caused a lot of controversy, with human rights activists and experts fearing that it could be used to increase control over citizens in other countries.
One of the officials, who remained anonymous, explained that the United States decided to support the document as part of a general agreement with other countries. Earlier this year, the U.S. voted in favor of the draft when it was being drafted in a U.N. committee. According to the source, the decision was made after studying many proposals from non-governmental organizations and consultations with allies, many of whom are also going to support the document.
The main reason the U.S. decided to support the convention is to influence its future and ensure that its provisions do not violate human rights. If the U.S. is involved from the outset, it will be able to monitor how the convention is applied in practice.
However, such a decision is likely to be criticized by human rights activists and some members of Congress. For example, a group of senators led by Ron Wyden had previously asked the White House not to support the document. According to senators, the convention can be used to spy on citizens in authoritarian countries.
To allay concerns, the Biden administration plans to develop a plan to minimize risks in implementing the convention. It will include measures to monitor how countries use the document. As early as this week, the Department of Commerce will meet with representatives of human rights and technology organizations to discuss these issues.
One of the most discussed topics is the possibility that signatory countries will be able to request data on suspicious crimes abroad. U.S. authorities have promised that the Justice Department will scrutinize such requests and deny them if they do not comply with the convention's rules. Another official noted that the convention could expand the list of countries willing to cooperate with the United States in the arrest and extradition of cybercriminals.
The UN hopes to reach a consensus. However, for the convention to enter into force, it would need to be approved by more than two-thirds of the U.S. Senate, which would not be easy in the face of political divisions.
The treaty was proposed by Russia in 2017, its main goal is to develop global standards regarding the problem of transnational cybercrime. Since the start of work on the treaty in 2019, the international community has not reached a consensus on its necessity and goals. Despite all doubts, the treaty was adopted after 3 years of negotiations, which ended in a two-week session.
However, human rights organizations and major tech companies have previously expressed concern about clauses that allow law enforcement to request electronic evidence and data from ISPs in other countries.
Source
The White House has announced that the U.S. is set to support a new U.N. convention on cybercrime when it comes to a vote this week. The decision was made after long discussions in the White House and other government agencies. The convention has caused a lot of controversy, with human rights activists and experts fearing that it could be used to increase control over citizens in other countries.
One of the officials, who remained anonymous, explained that the United States decided to support the document as part of a general agreement with other countries. Earlier this year, the U.S. voted in favor of the draft when it was being drafted in a U.N. committee. According to the source, the decision was made after studying many proposals from non-governmental organizations and consultations with allies, many of whom are also going to support the document.
The main reason the U.S. decided to support the convention is to influence its future and ensure that its provisions do not violate human rights. If the U.S. is involved from the outset, it will be able to monitor how the convention is applied in practice.
However, such a decision is likely to be criticized by human rights activists and some members of Congress. For example, a group of senators led by Ron Wyden had previously asked the White House not to support the document. According to senators, the convention can be used to spy on citizens in authoritarian countries.
To allay concerns, the Biden administration plans to develop a plan to minimize risks in implementing the convention. It will include measures to monitor how countries use the document. As early as this week, the Department of Commerce will meet with representatives of human rights and technology organizations to discuss these issues.
One of the most discussed topics is the possibility that signatory countries will be able to request data on suspicious crimes abroad. U.S. authorities have promised that the Justice Department will scrutinize such requests and deny them if they do not comply with the convention's rules. Another official noted that the convention could expand the list of countries willing to cooperate with the United States in the arrest and extradition of cybercriminals.
The UN hopes to reach a consensus. However, for the convention to enter into force, it would need to be approved by more than two-thirds of the U.S. Senate, which would not be easy in the face of political divisions.
The treaty was proposed by Russia in 2017, its main goal is to develop global standards regarding the problem of transnational cybercrime. Since the start of work on the treaty in 2019, the international community has not reached a consensus on its necessity and goals. Despite all doubts, the treaty was adopted after 3 years of negotiations, which ended in a two-week session.
However, human rights organizations and major tech companies have previously expressed concern about clauses that allow law enforcement to request electronic evidence and data from ISPs in other countries.
Source
