More than 60 countries signed the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime in Hanoi on Saturday, marking the first global treaty aimed at tackling online criminal activity, from digital fraud and child exploitation to cyber money laundering.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres hailed the accord as “an important milestone” toward global cyber cooperation.
💻 After five years of negotiations, the @UN‘s 193 Member States made history by adopting a legally binding agreement on cybercrime.
Why does the Cybercrime Convention matter?
Here are 5️⃣ key facts you need to know.👇 pic.twitter.com/kBIPel4qYS
— UN Office on Drugs & Crime (@UNODC) October 21, 2025
However, rights groups and tech companies, including Meta, Dell, and Infosys, strongly oppose the treaty, warning it could enable state surveillance, repress dissent, and force firms to share user data. Critics argue the agreement’s vague language and “weak” safeguards risk misuse by authoritarian regimes.
Initially proposed by Russia in 2017, the treaty was approved last year after prolonged negotiations. While supporters say it addresses urgent cyber threats, others, like Human Rights
Watch, note the irony of it being signed in Vietnam, a nation criticized for online censorship. The treaty will take effect once ratified by member states.
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