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Panel Description:
Cybercrime is a pressing global concern and threatens people’s livelihoods. Unfortunately, some efforts by governments to fight cybercrime, including at the international levels, can fail to respect international human rights law and standards, undermining people’s fundamental rights. For years, governments have been increasing coordination to address cybercrime, including through the Council of Europe’s (CoE) Budapest Convention (Second Optional Protocol). While civil society has requested transparency and meaningful participation in the draft meetings and plenaries, including inviting civil society as experts in the meetings, as is customary in all other CoE Committee sessions; unfortunately, the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY) of the CoE, has not done so. Some draft provisions on cross border government access to electronic evidence may have a profound impact on human rights. Meanwhile at the UN, negotiations on a new cybercrime treaty are set to begin later this year. This would be the first global treaty on cybercrime and has the potential to significantly shape government cooperation on cybercrime and respect for rights. It is unclear to what extent non-governmental stakeholders will have a seat at the table. This session will bring together experts and advocates who are engaging in both processes to share their experiences and strategize on how the digital rights community can advance rights-based approaches to international cooperation on cybercrime. It will begin with brief remarks to get all participants on the same page, and will continue with facilitated smaller group discussions to address specific issues and strategies.
Speakers
- Katitza Rodriguez, Policy Director for Global Privacy, EFF
- Deborah Brown, Senior researcher and advocate on digital rights, Human Rights Watch
- Michael Karanicolas, Executive Director, UCLA Institute for Technology Law & Policy
- Peter Kimpian, Data Protection Unit, Council of Europe