30 Countries Sign Controversial Cybercrime Treaty
U.S. is among those supporting the agreement, but some ISPs and civil rights groups say it goes too far.
Rick Perera, IDG News Service
Thirty countries signed a controversial international treaty to combat online crime last week. Representatives of 26 Council of Europe member states, plus the U.S., Canada, Japan, and South Africa, put their signatures on the document at an international meeting in Budapest.
The Convention on Cybercrime, sponsored by the Council of Europe, criminalizes activities such as online child pornography, fraud, and hacking, and sets rules on how the Internet should be policed. A footnote added earlier this month seeks to eliminate racist Web sites and to define and criminalize hate speech on computer networks, but was eliminated from the body of the treaty in order to accommodate the U.S.
Civil rights groups and Internet service providers have strongly objected to the treaty, which they say contains vague language, imposes heavy burdens on providers, and was drafted in a secretive process that did not allow enough public input.
The cybercrime treaty, which is open for all countries, was drafted by the 43 member states of the Council of Europe--which is not affiliated with the European Union--the U.S., Canada, Japan, and South Africa. The treaty will come into effect when five states, including at least three Council of Europe member states, ratify it.
But the 15-member European Union is pushing for its own separate law against cybercrime, which is expected to use the Convention on Cybercrime as a starting point.
"We welcome the Convention. It will clarify the legal situation, help dissuade cybercriminals, and will create awareness of the issue of cybercrime," says Per Haugaard, spokesperson for information society issues for the European Commission, the EU's executive branch.
The Commission will hold a one-day conference next Tuesday on the topic, focusing on the issue of data retention requirements for telecommunication companies and ISPs.
The Commission aims to publish a draft law by the end of the year, Haugaard says.
Paul Meller of the IDG News Service contributed to this report.
- Sponsored Resource:Improve your network with the right mix of features, performance and pricing.
- Sponsored Resource:Growing your business requires the right tools. Dell's networking servers can help.
- Sponsored Resource:Thinking about a new Laptop? Lenovo has models to meet everyone's needs.
- Sponsored Resource:Twitter: A how-to guide for using Twitter as a business tool.
- Sponsored Resource:Smartphone security threats are on the rise. Is it time to safegaurd your device?
Print 65% more pages than with refilled inks. Trust Original HP Inks. Hit Print Reliably.
Upgrade to IE 8
SMB Networking Center
Featured APC Accessories For Your System
10% Off Entire Cart at Online Store
-
APC Back-UPS ES
Safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility & data lines.
- APC SurgeArrest Performance Highest level of protection for your professional computers, electronics and connected devices, as well as provides surge protection.
People who read this also read:
Best Prices on Printers
Officejet J6480 All-In-One PrinterPrice: $144.00
WorkForce 500 All-In-One PrinterPrice: $79.99
ML-2510 Laser PrinterPrice: $49.95
Photosmart C309 All-In-One PrinterPrice: $199.98
Photosmart C6380 All-In-One PrinterPrice: $124.99
Photosmart C8180 All-In-One PrinterPrice: $181.61
- Cisco Small Business Center Find out how to keep employees mobile, connected and productive with secure wireless networking.
- Dell Servers for Small Business Click here to see how a Dell server can help you back up your company's data and save you valuable time.




