A total of 72 countries have signed the world’s first global treaty to combat cybercrime, formally known as the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime. The signing took place in Hanoi, Vietnam, marking a major step toward creating a uniform international legal framework to tackle crimes committed online.
The treaty, adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2024 after five years of negotiations, aims to enhance cross-border cooperation in investigating and prosecuting cyber offences. It covers crimes such as hacking, ransomware, online financial fraud, illegal interception, money laundering, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images. The convention’s stated purpose is to promote international cooperation, strengthen measures to prevent and combat cybercrime, and support capacity-building, particularly for developing countries. It applies not only to cyber offences but also to the collection and sharing of electronic evidence in serious crimes.
For the treaty to come into force, at least 40 countries must both sign and ratify it. Once the 40th ratification is completed, the agreement will take effect 90 days later.
India Holds Back on Signing Cybercrime Treaty
India, which actively participated in drafting discussions, has not yet signed the treaty. Officials have not provided a clear reason for the delay. The government may still be reviewing the agreement’s implications for national data protection and privacy standards.
In previous consultations, India had proposed including provisions that would criminalise “offensive messages” on social media, similar to the struck-down Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The proposal, however, did not gain support among member states.
Raman Jit Singh Chima, Asia-Pacific Policy Director at Access Now, earlier told The Indian Express that “it is a legally grey question as to whether India can actually sign and ratify this treaty because unless India puts in place strong voluntary commitments about how to implement the treaty, the current treaty text may not satisfy the Indian Supreme Court’s requirements on the right to privacy.”
Privacy Concerns in the Cybercrime Treaty
Even as governments hailed the move, several human rights and digital rights groups voiced concern over the treaty’s scope. 19 global organisations, including Access Now, Human Rights Watch, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, warned that the agreement “extends far beyond addressing cybercrime… [and] obligates states to establish broad electronic surveillance powers… without adequate human rights safeguards.” The treaty text, however, includes provisions upholding human rights and national sovereignty, stating that enforcement must remain consistent with international human rights law and must not restrict freedoms of expression, privacy, or association.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking at the signing ceremony, defended the…
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