InfoSecBulletin Cybersecurity for mankind
The UN Convention against Cybercrime has gained momentum toward becoming a legally binding framework, with 72 of 193 member states signing it in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Saturday, October 25.
The 41-page UN cybercrime treaty aims to enhance global collaboration among law enforcement and provide technical support to countries struggling with cybercrime. It addresses issues like illegal interception, money laundering, hacking, and online child exploitation.
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The UN General Assembly adopted the final treaty draft in December 2024 after years of negotiations by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
A treaty requires at least 40 countries to sign and ratify it before its rules take effect 90 days after the 40th ratification. This is important as global cybercrime costs are expected to hit $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.
Tech companies and digital rights activists have criticized the treaty for potentially criminalizing legitimate online activities and risking human rights abuses.
The UN states that a country must sign and ratify a treaty to be legally bound by it. It’s uncertain if India signed the cybercrime treaty in Hanoi on Saturday, but the signing process will remain open until next year.
‘No country will be left defenceless against cybercrime’
“The UN Cybercrime Convention is a powerful, legally binding instrument to strengthen our collective defences against cybercrime. It is a testament to the continued power of multilateralism to deliver solutions. And it is a vow that no country, no matter their level of development, will be left defenceless against cybercrime,” Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, said in his remarks at the signing ceremony in Hanoi.
Ahead of the signing ceremony, 19 digital rights organisations, including Access Now, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Human Rights Watch, and others, urged UN member states to refrain from signing and ratifying the treaty.
“The Convention, the first global treaty of its kind, extends far beyond addressing cybercrime – malicious attacks on computer networks, systems, and data. It obligates states to establish broad electronic surveillance powers to investigate and cooperate on a wide range of crimes, including those that don’t involve information and communication systems. It does so without adequate human rights safeguards,” read a joint statement dated October 24, 2025.
