Data security experts from all over the world gather at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg to discuss ways of protecting us against cybercrime.
For the last ten years, the Council of Europe has been protecting people and their rights in cyberspace by means of the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, which is the only international legally binding treaty in this field. It criminalises illegal access to computer systems, data and system interference, computer-related fraud, child pornography and other conduct.
The Budapest Convention has served as a model law for countries worldwide.
As all societies become ever more dependent on information and communication technologies, they are also increasingly vulnerable to cybercrime, including identity theft, financial fraud, cyber attacks and the misuse of social networks. Many of these crimes are committed against individuals, who can have their privacy invaded by hackers, fraudsters and, in the case of children, paedophiles.
Cybercrime thus poses new challenges to criminal justice and international cooperation. In order to counter cybercrime and protect computer systems, Governments must provide for:
• Stronger and more harmonised cybercrime legislation worldwide
• Consistent approach to criminalising conduct, procedural powers for law enforcement and international cooperation
• More efficient international cooperation between the parties
• More investigation, prosecution and adjudication of cybercrime
• Catalyst for technical assistance and capacity building
• Global outreach, global impact (55 countries signed, ratified, invited to accede, cooperation with 120+ countries)
• An essential element of norms of behaviour for cyberspace
• Basis for trusted partnerships and multi-stakeholder cooperation
• A contribution to human rights and the rule of law in cyberspace
