Six Democratic senators have urged the Biden administration to address human rights and cybersecurity concerns in the proposed United Nations cybercrime treaty, which is set for a vote in the General Assembly by December.
In a letter sent to senior officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the senators—Tim Kaine, Jeff Merkley, Ed Markey, Chris Van Hollen, Ron Wyden, and Cory Booker—expressed alarm over provisions they believe could compromise privacy, freedom of expression, and cybersecurity.
The senators argue that the treaty, formally named the United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime, could provide authoritarian regimes like Russia and China with legal cover to censor, surveil, and repress dissent. The treaty mandates that countries enable law enforcement access to computer systems and data, which critics say could allow for unchecked surveillance and threaten global encryption standards.
They contend that existing safeguards are too deferential to domestic laws, risking human rights abuses. Additionally, the senators warn that the treaty could limit the work of security researchers, potentially undermining global cybersecurity by leaving vulnerabilities unreported.
The convention, originally proposed by Russia in 2017, requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate for U.S. participation, and the senators have called for a “rights-respecting approach” that aligns with democratic values.
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