Confusion & Contradiction In The UN 'Cybercrime' Convention

On Aug. 9, an ad hoc United Nations committee unanimously adopted draft language for a new cybercrime convention (the Draft Convention). The Draft Convention represents an effort by certain repressive, anti-democratic regimes to erect a veneer of legitimacy through international law for efforts to target subversive elements within their own societies. Indeed, while generally referred to as a "cybercrime" convention, the Draft Convention goes far beyond any good-faith effort to address the proliferation of malicious cyber actors—many of which operate in the service of the Draft Convention's original sponsors. Reflecting the Draft Convention's lengthy, contentious drafting process, its official name is a hollow dissemblance: "Strengthening International Cooperation for Combating Certain Crimes Committed by Means of Information Communications Technology Systems and for the Sharing of Evidence in Electronic Form of Serious Crimes." The Draft Convention has generated signif