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United Nations. Surveillance / law enforcement access. Treaty

UN Cybercrime ConventionUnited Nations Convention against Cybercrime; Strengthening International Cooperation for Combating Certain Crimes Committed by Means of Information and Communications Technology Systems and for the Sharing of Evidence in Electronic Form of Serious Crimes

Signed – not ratified
Partly verifiedMedium confidence. The ratification count comes from secondary sources as of mid-2026. The convention is not in force (it needs 40 ratifications). The exact GA adoption date (24 Dec 2024, A/RES/79/243) comes from established references and I did not re-verify it.

§1Summary

Synopsis

The first global UN treaty on cybercrime. It requires states to criminalise a set of computer-related offences and to provide procedural powers, such as preserving and producing stored data and collecting traffic and content data, and it sets up channels for cross-border e-evidence cooperation on serious crimes. It includes a general human rights clause and conditions and safeguards on these powers.

Key themes
  • cybercrime offences
  • e-evidence
  • production orders
  • data preservation
  • mutual legal assistance
  • human rights safeguards
Unique features

It is broader than the Budapest Convention in that evidence sharing covers any 'serious crime'. Rights groups and industry have criticised its safeguards as weak.

SaaS relevance

Once in force and implemented, it could widen the range of states able to issue preservation and production orders to cloud and SaaS providers.

§2Obligations

Extraterritorial
Limited
Breach notification
None
DPO
No
Cross-border transfers
Cooperation channels for electronic evidence
Maximum penalty
Set by national law

§3Dates

Key dates
  • Adopted
  • Adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2024; opened for signature in Hanoi on 2025-10-25; enters into force 90 days after the 40th ratification. About 3 ratifications (Qatar, Azerbaijan, Viet Nam) as of mid-2026.

§4Text and authority

Text
Authority
UNODC (secretariat); Conference of the States Parties once in force

§5Where it applies

Members of the body

Membership-based — check ratification status. Membership of United Nations does not mean a state has signed or ratified this instrument.

§6Sources and verification

Sources consulted
Verification

Medium confidence.

Partly verifiedMedium confidence. The ratification count comes from secondary sources as of mid-2026. The convention is not in force (it needs 40 ratifications). The exact GA adoption date (24 Dec 2024, A/RES/79/243) comes from established references and I did not re-verify it.