(Hanoi, 27th) Leaders and representatives from more than 110 countries and international organizations signed the first United Nations treaty aimed at combating cybercrime on Saturday in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, but technology companies and human rights organizations have warned that this move may fuel state surveillance.
This United Nations Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes (also known as the Hanoi Convention) was proposed by the UN in 2019, and unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 24, 2024. It becomes the world’s first legal document to tackle crimes in cyberspace, as well as the first international criminal justice treaty negotiated in over 20 years.
The Hanoi Convention aims to combat cybercrimes ranging from child pornography to transnational online fraud and money laundering through enhanced international cooperation, technical assistance, and capacity building. However, it still needs to be ratified by the parliaments of the member states before it can truly enter into effect.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at Saturday’s (October 25) signing ceremony in Hanoi that this is an important milestone for international cooperation in combating cybercrime, but it is “only the beginning.”
He said, “Every day, sophisticated scams destroy families, abduct citizens, and cause billions of dollars in economic losses… We must have a robust and globally connected response.”
Vietnamese President To Lam, who presided over the signing ceremony, said that Vietnam hosting this event and becoming the first country to sign the Hanoi Convention demonstrates Vietnam’s determination to safeguard cybersecurity, protect national sovereignty, and promote digital transformation strategies, laying a solid foundation for Vietnam’s new era of prosperous development.
He called on the more than 60 UN member states that have signed the Convention to ratify it as soon as possible, so it can enter into force early and establish a just, inclusive, and rule-based digital order.
However, the Convention is controversial; technology companies and human rights organizations criticize its language as too vague, which may lead to abuse of power or human rights violations.
Dhia, founder of the non-profit Global Tech Research Institute, told AFP: “During negotiations, parties raised numerous concerns about how the treaty would ultimately compel companies to share data. This is almost tantamount to condoning methods authoritarian countries have used in the past to crack down on journalists.”
Delegations from more than 160 companies, including Meta, Dell, and India’s Infosys, who participated in the treaty negotiations, did not attend Saturday's signing ceremony. These companies had previously warned that the Convention’s contents might criminalize cybersecurity researchers and “allow countries to cooperate on almost any crime of their choosing.”
This United Nations Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes (also known as the Hanoi Convention) was proposed by the UN in 2019, and unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 24, 2024. It becomes the world’s first legal document to tackle crimes in cyberspace, as well as the first international criminal justice treaty negotiated in over 20 years.
The Hanoi Convention aims to combat cybercrimes ranging from child pornography to transnational online fraud and money laundering through enhanced international cooperation, technical assistance, and capacity building. However, it still needs to be ratified by the parliaments of the member states before it can truly enter into effect.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at Saturday’s (October 25) signing ceremony in Hanoi that this is an important milestone for international cooperation in combating cybercrime, but it is “only the beginning.”
He said, “Every day, sophisticated scams destroy families, abduct citizens, and cause billions of dollars in economic losses… We must have a robust and globally connected response.”
Vietnamese President To Lam, who presided over the signing ceremony, said that Vietnam hosting this event and becoming the first country to sign the Hanoi Convention demonstrates Vietnam’s determination to safeguard cybersecurity, protect national sovereignty, and promote digital transformation strategies, laying a solid foundation for Vietnam’s new era of prosperous development.
He called on the more than 60 UN member states that have signed the Convention to ratify it as soon as possible, so it can enter into force early and establish a just, inclusive, and rule-based digital order.
However, the Convention is controversial; technology companies and human rights organizations criticize its language as too vague, which may lead to abuse of power or human rights violations.
Dhia, founder of the non-profit Global Tech Research Institute, told AFP: “During negotiations, parties raised numerous concerns about how the treaty would ultimately compel companies to share data. This is almost tantamount to condoning methods authoritarian countries have used in the past to crack down on journalists.”
Delegations from more than 160 companies, including Meta, Dell, and India’s Infosys, who participated in the treaty negotiations, did not attend Saturday's signing ceremony. These companies had previously warned that the Convention’s contents might criminalize cybersecurity researchers and “allow countries to cooperate on almost any crime of their choosing.”