August 22, 2024 | New York Sun
Will a United Nations Cybercrime Treaty Help Russia, Communist China, and Iran Control the Internet?
This treaty has very little to do with fighting cybercrime globally. Instead, it’s a mere window dressing for enabling authoritarian regimes to censor free speech globally and allow global surveillance.
August 22, 2024 | New York Sun
Will a United Nations Cybercrime Treaty Help Russia, Communist China, and Iran Control the Internet?
This treaty has very little to do with fighting cybercrime globally. Instead, it’s a mere window dressing for enabling authoritarian regimes to censor free speech globally and allow global surveillance.
Excerpt
Freedom of information is kryptonite for autocrats. On August 9, United Nations member states approved the first worldwide treaty on cybercrime that was initiated by Russia and supported by Communist China. While the Kremlin has championed the treaty, the West has opposed it out of fear that it might be used by authoritarian states to enact state-level repression online.
This treaty has very little to do with fighting cybercrime globally. Instead, it’s a mere window dressing for enabling authoritarian regimes to censor free speech globally and allow global surveillance. As President Putin has consolidated control, however, Russia has grown aggressive on the cyber-regulation front. In 2019, Russia submitted a UN General Assembly resolution, backed by other authoritarian states including China and Iran, which privileged government-controlled internet and derailed American efforts to set more liberal cyberspace norms.
Dr. Ivana Stradner serves as a research fellow with the Barish Center for Media Integrity at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.