How Council of Europe Plans to Tackle Cybercrime

The additional protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention), intended to enhance cooperation and disclosure of electronic evidence, will be opened for signature at an international conference to be held on 12 and 13 May in Strasbourg – under the Italian Presidency of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers.

While cybercrime is proliferating and the complexity of obtaining electronic evidence that may be stored in foreign, multiple, shifting or unknown jurisdictions is increasing, the powers of law enforcement are limited by territorial boundaries. As a result, only a very small share of cybercrime that is reported to criminal justice authorities is leading to prosecutions or court decisions.

The Additional Protocol responds to this challenge and provides tools such as direct cooperation with service providers and registrars, effective means to obtain subscriber information and traffic data, immediate cooperation in emergencies or joint investigations – that are subject to a system of human rights and rule of law, including data protection safeguards.

The Italian Minister of Justice, Marta Cartabia, and the Council of Europe Secretary General, Marija Pejčinović Burić, will open the conference which will bring together representatives of governments, the police, the internet industry, the civil society and academia. The conference will also be livestreamed.