The United Nations Proposes Treaty to Combat Cybercrime

Cybercrime is growing worse and more prevalent, but it is not escaping the notice of the United Nations. They are taking steps to deal with cybercrime more effectively.

Just recently the UN published a report on cybercriminal activities. Their report shows that this type of criminal action has dramatically increased since the previous year, and it may be even worse next year, they fear. As technology advances, it is enabling new and more dangerous kinds of cybercrime. In Southeast Asia alone, cybercrime has cost individuals an estimated $37 billion.

Now, cybercriminals can use artificial intelligence (AI) to do a lot of their work for them and to do it better than they could. It does not matter if they do not even speak the language of the person they are trying to take advantage of. Adaptive AI technology can create realistic sounding conversations in whatever language they choose and enable these scammers to prey on more people than ever before.

The UN Treaty

On Monday, as the UN released their cybercrime report, they also put forward a treaty to deal with cybercrime that has proven to be controversial. The treaty is supported by a number of nations that are members of the UN, but it has also received substantial criticism from technology companies and human rights organizations.

What is the problem with the proposed treaty? According to the critics, it will give the UN and the member nations too much power when it comes to watching individuals. There is very little protection built into the treaty for human rights, and some fear that the US might reject the treaty altogether. If they do, that could mean a redrafting would happen, and with the US out of the picture, the treaty could become even more totalitarian.

The current US administration says they have not decided if they will support the treaty, and President Joe Biden’s people have voiced the same concerns already mentioned in this article.