UN to draft new int’l cybercrime treaty

The UN General Assembly adopted Wednesday by consensus a resolution proposed by Russia to draft a treaty against cybercrime by 2023, an initiative viewed with suspicion by Western nations who fear it could restrict free expression.  Called "Countering the use of information and communications technologies for criminal purposes," the resolution -- co-drafted with Equatorial Guinea -- focuses on the work of a special committee launched in 2019.  The resolution adopted on Wednesday stresses that "information and communications technologies, while having enormous potential for the development of States, create new opportunities for perpetrators and may contribute to a rise in the levels and complexity of crime." A restrictive treaty could make it easier to block access to the Internet and strengthen control over its users in some countries, experts fear.