Security News > 2021 > August > Russia tells UN it wants vast expansion of cybercrime offenses, plus network backdoors, online censorship

Russia has put forward a draft convention to the United Nations ostensibly to fight cyber-crime.

The proposal, titled "United Nations Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes," [PDF] calls for member states to develop domestic laws to punish a far broader set of offenses than current international rules recognize.

The Biden administration has called for improved cybersecurity and, following the recent US-Russia Summit, may be inclined to engage with Russia at the UN to modify the language of the proposal so that it's compatible with US norms and policy goals.

"UN member states are beginning negotiations towards a new global treaty to combat cybercrime, which should take into account and preserve existing international agreements," a US State Department spokesperson told The Register in an email.

Via Twitter, Dr Lukasz Olejnik, independent cybersecurity researcher and consultant, noted that the draft convention disallows online communication calling for "Subversive or armed activities directed towards the violent overthrow of the regime of another State," and requires service providers to provide "Technical assistance," which generally means providing a backdoor for authorities.

Olejnik said the draft rules call for technical backdoors in network systems, network wiretapping capabilities, and potential technical censorship.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/08/03/russia_cybercrime_laws/