| Our Concerns Letter | List of Signatures |
On the 27th of April 2000, in Strasbourg, France, the Council of Europe released a draft version of an International Treaty on Crime in Cyberspace that addresses criminal law and procedural aspects related to offending behavior directed against computer systems, networks, or data.
The treaty's objectives are to harmonize national legislation, facilitate international investigations, and promote cooperation between law enforcement authorities across the globe. It is scheduled to be finalized by December 2000, and adopted by the Committee of Ministers in early autumn 2001. The public has been encouraged to share their comments on the Treaty before the final adoption of the text.
After examining the Treaty draft, a group of prominent security practitioners, educators, vendors, and users of information security identified some concerns with the text of the draft Treaty. To better communicate their concerns, the group prepared a "Concerns Letter" of the areas of the draft treaty relevant to these concerns. Others have raised similar concerns. You can read a short description of the areas of the draft treaty relevant to these concerns.
Signatures were solicited from security experts and practitioners from around the globe during June and July 2000. That process ended July 20th, 2000, and the letter was sent to the comment address.
Your participation in this effort is requested. If you agree with the concerns expressed in the statement, feel free to send your own letters to the Council, and encourage others to express their views.
The draft treaty has been revised, and the revision has been endorsed by the U.S. Justice Department. The revision partially addresses some of our concerns, but still seeks to outlaw technology in some circumstances. As such, some of the signers (but not all) of the letter at this site are in opposition to the treaty.
The Global Internet Liberty Campaign wrote a letter to the Council of Europe, criticizing the Cybercrime drafts as well. It is worth reading as it addresses a broader range of concerns.