Cybercrime and a global governance crisis, Pg7

Key Highlights:

• The UN Convention against Cybercrime, a new multilateral criminal justice instrument, was open for signatures in late 2025.
• India, along with the United States, Japan, and Canada, did not sign the convention, highlighting divisions in global cyber governance.
• The convention, conceived by Russia in 2017, aims to reshape global cyber governance frameworks.
• The Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, a European effort, is non-inclusive as it limits accession to invited states only.

Detailed Insights:

• The UN Convention faced divisions despite being open to all countries, with Europe signing to ensure a voice in its implementation.
• The United States expressed skepticism due to concerns that the convention's broad definitions could be used to prosecute journalists and activists.
• India actively participated in negotiations but did not sign as its proposals for retaining control over citizens’ data were not retained.
• The convention exposes a gap between international legal principles and on-ground realities, with potential for signatories to stretch the scope of criminal offenses.
• Global governance faces a crisis with the U.S. curtailing UN contributions and the WTO’s dispute-settlement system being paralyzed.
• The emerging global order relies on plurilateral or bilateral groups, leading to polycentrism and testing state capacity.
• India needs to build technical capacities to engage on multiple levels to retain its institutional autonomy in global governance.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Cybercrime: Criminal activities carried out using computers or the internet.
• Global Governance: The framework of rules, institutions, and practices that guide collective action on a global scale.
• Polycentrism: A system with multiple centers of power or influence.