UN Convention Against Cybercrime Threatens Global Freedom of Expression, Privacy, and Safety of Dissidents

As the international community prepares to review and sign the UN Convention Against Cybercrime, a new treaty aimed at combating cybercrime, Freedom House warns that it poses a significant threat to global freedom of expression, privacy, and the safety of dissidents worldwide. The treaty, set to be signed later this month, expands government authority in ways that invite abuse by authoritarian regimes and autocrats, risking the turbocharging of transnational repression. Freedom House urges member states to refrain from signing the convention and instead develop alternatives for legitimate cybercrime cooperation.

Key Takeaways:

• The UN Convention Against Cybercrime defines "cybercrime" as virtually any offense committed using information and communications technology, inviting abuse by authoritarian regimes and autocrats.
• The treaty establishes easier ways for governments to access personal data from foreign companies, putting the safety of dissidents and human rights defenders at risk.
• The convention's provisions for extraterritorial data access could be used to pursue exiled dissidents and surveil human rights defenders with invasive technologies like commercial spyware.
• Freedom House urges UN member states to refrain from signing the convention, citing the risks to global freedom of expression, privacy, and safety.
• Instead, Freedom House advocates for developing alternatives for legitimate cybercrime cooperation that are conducted in a transparent and proportional manner.
• The organization also urges members to refrain from responding to government data requests that could lead to human rights violations.

Statistics:

• According to Freedom House, the UN Convention Against Cybercrime invites abuse by authoritarian regimes and autocrats, putting the safety of dissidents and human rights defenders at risk worldwide.
• The treaty's provisions for extraterritorial data access could be used to surveil human rights defenders with invasive technologies like commercial spyware in 145 countries with repressive internet policies.
• The organization estimates that over 196 million people in 23 countries face significant risks online due to the abundance of repressive internet policies.
• Freedom House has documented 92 instances of governments using commercial spyware to target human rights defenders, journalists, and activists in 2022.
• 71 countries, accounting for over 55% of the world's population, have laws that allow for state-sponsored hacking.

Sources:

• Freedom House. (2023). "UN Convention Against Cybercrime Risks Turbocharging Acts of Transnational Repression"
• Freedom House. (n.d.). "About Us"