• Over 60 countries signed a UN treaty targeting cybercrime in Hanoi.
• The treaty aims to enhance international cooperation against digital crimes.
• Critics warn of potential for state surveillance and repression.
• Concerns raised by rights groups and major tech companies regarding human rights.
• UN Secretary-General calls it an important milestone in combating cybercrime.

Countries from around the world signed the first United Nations treaty focused on combating cybercrime in Hanoi on Saturday, with the event attended by over 60 participating nations. This treaty, set to strengthen international cooperation against various digital crimes such as child pornography and transnational scams, faces considerable scrutiny from both technology firms and human rights organizations. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres acknowledged the treaty as an “important milestone,” asserting that “every day, sophisticated scams destroy families, steal livelihoods, and drain billions of dollars” from economies worldwide, emphasizing the necessity for a strong global response, according to Channel News Asia and India Times.

The UN Convention against Cybercrime was first proposed by Russian diplomats in 2017 and was finalized last year after extensive negotiations. Critics of the treaty claim that its broad language could facilitate state abuses and cross-border repression of dissenting voices. Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, from the Tech Global Institute, pointed out that concerns were raised regarding the treaty's potential to compel companies to share sensitive data, calling it "almost rubber-stamping a very problematic practice that has been used against journalists and in authoritarian countries," as reported by South China Morning Post and The Jakarta Post.

Vietnam, the host country, is seen as an opportunity for enhancing global standing amid escalating cyber threats. Nevertheless, the signing location has sparked criticism due to the Vietnamese government's history of suppressing free speech and censoring dissent online. Human Rights Watch's Deborah Brown stated that existing laws in Vietnam are often used to silence critical expression of the political leadership. She further emphasized that while Russia has been a key advocate for the treaty, its own substantial cybercrime issues within borders are not being adequately addressed, as indicated by Channel News Asia and South China Morning Post.

Notably, the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, which includes major tech companies like Meta and Microsoft, expressed apprehensions that the treaty might criminalize ethical hacking and could lead to serious implications for corporate cybersecurity systems, risking "serious risks to corporate IT systems relied upon by billions." Their absence from the signing underlined their concerns about potential overreach by governments under the treaty, representing a stalemate in addressing the delicate balance between security and privacy, according to The Jakarta Post and India Times.