OSCE observes plenary session on 2nd Additional Protocol to Budapest Convention on Cybercrime

On 26 February 2021, the Council of Europe (CoE) convened the 8^th meeting of the Protocol Drafting Plenary of the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T/CY), which represents the State Parties to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. The aim of the meeting was to prepare a 2^nd Additional Protocol to the Convention.

The OSCE was invited to attend the meeting as an observer and without the right to vote. The meeting was also observed by many other international organizations, such as the European Union, the G7 High-Tech Crime Subgroup, INTERPOL, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The OSCE’s activities on cybercrime complement international efforts to combat this cross-border threat, which is steadily increasing in scope and sophistication. To build synergies and co-ordinate existing initiatives in this area, the Organization is working closely with its participating States and other partners, such as UNODC, CoE and the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), in its related capacity building activities.

The OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) — Strategic Police Matters Unit is working to enhance the criminal justice response to cybercrime, while upholding human rights. To better understand the evolving features of this phenomenon and to promote the most effective ways to identify and investigate cybercrime, TNTD is assisting in updating training curricula for law enforcement and promoting co-operation among relevant national stakeholders, including the private sector.

TNTD is also focusing on the use of new technologies by security actors, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by law enforcement agencies.