Microsoft ain't happy with Russia-led UN cybercrime treaty

A arguable United Nations connection has a caller foe, Microsoft, which has joined nan increasing number of organizations informing delegates that nan draught type of nan UN cybercrime pact only succeeds successful justifying authorities surveillance — not stopping criminals, arsenic primitively intended.

Amy Hogan-Burney, subordinate wide counsel for cybersecurity argumentation and protection astatine Microsoft, connected Tuesday warned that nan connection successful its existent shape is excessively vague, and could beryllium utilized to criminalize ethical hacking and information practices, not to mention a signatory's ain citizens.

"The consequence is that nan pact will not beryllium a instrumentality for prosecuting criminals but alternatively a limb that allows for intrusive information entree and surveillance instruments," she wrote successful a LinkedIn post. "The consequence could beryllium an world statement granting authoritarian states nan powerfulness to suppress dissent nether nan guise of fighting cybercrime."

Microsoft's concerns travel arsenic UN delegates meet successful New York this week to update nan cybercrime treaty, which is expected to some specify online crime and reside really personnel states tin activity together to reside nan problem. 

During a property convention yesterday to denote an world rule enforcement cognition that took down Qakbot, US Attorney Martin Estrada said cybercrime will costs victims $8 trillion this twelvemonth alone. But there's much astatine play here.

The UN connection has been under debate for complete 2 years. This week's meetings make nan draft's sixth information of negotiations. 

Russia primitively projected nan world pact pinch support from countries including China and North Korea. Some suggestions from these and different authoritarian regimes interest Western personnel states, on pinch quality authorities and integer privateness advocates, which fearfulness nan pact will promote legalized surveillance crossed borders and criminalize online speech.

• UN cybercrime pact risks becoming a 'global surveillance pact'
• Russia-pushed UN Cybercrime Treaty whitethorn rewrite world law. It's ... not great
• FBI-led Operation Duck Hunt shoots down Qakbot
• FBI: Who was going astir hijacking Barracuda email boxes? China, probably

Hogan-Burney points to different imaginable unintended consequence: "The matter besides does not incorporate connection protecting lawful cybersecurity activity that keeps nan integer ecosystem secure."

The world organization needs to protect ethical hackers — for illustration those who activity to find and responsibility disclose vulnerabilities — she wrote.

"Key criminalization provisions are excessively vague and do not see a reference to 'criminal intent,' which would guarantee activities for illustration penetration testing stay lawful," Hogan-Burney said.

She besides called connected personnel states to "balance quality authorities pinch efforts to conflict cybercriminals" by taking precautions - specified arsenic aligning nan pact pinch existing information protection standards and limiting nan scope of provisions astir information access. 

Additionally, Microsoft would for illustration to spot an updated draught that will "increase transparency by allowing exertion providers to springiness announcement to users erstwhile their information is requested, unless doing truthful mightiness discuss a criminal investigation," Hogan-Burney added. ®