International police and judicial cooperation on cybercrime and e-evidence is one of the advantages of the Budapest Convention, a criminal justice treaty that provides states the ability to:1. criminalize a list of computer-related attacks,2. implement procedural law tools to improve the effectiveness of cybercrime investigations and the security of electronic evidence related to any crime, while also providing protections for the rule of law.
By promoting international cooperation, improving investigative techniques, and harmonizing national laws, the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime also known as the Convention on Cybercrime or the Budapest Convention is the first international agreement designed to combat Internet and computer crime, or cybercrime. Canada, Japan, the Philippines, South Africa, and the United Nations were all active observer states when it was established by the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.
On November 8, 2001, during its 109th Session, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted the Convention and its Explanatory Report. On November 23, 2001, it was made available for signature in Budapest, and on July 1, 2004, it came into effect.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention on Cybercrime on December 24, 2024, in New York, with resolution 79/243. As the first comprehensive international treaty on the subject, the Convention provides states a range of measures to adopt in order to prevent and combat cybercrime. In order to share electronic evidence for significant crimes, it also seeks to improve international cooperation.
