United Nations Convention against Cybercrime

Summary

The United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, also known as the Hanoi Convention, is a treaty to facilitate international cooperation in the enforcement of cybercrime laws. It was proposed by Russia in 2017 and adopted by the General Assembly in December 2024 amid resistance from human rights organizations. NGOs, academics, technology companies, and policy experts have criticized the convention for expanding the surveillance and data collection capacities of repressive governments without human rights safeguards. Complaints focus on its vague definition of cybercrime, which can include any crime committed using technology, as well as the way it defers to individual countries, including those with a record of human rights abuses, to determine how to protect human rights.