John Brandolino: Making our digital and physical worlds safer

In 2024, with over 60 per cent of the global population connected to the internet, the digital sphere is expanding rapidly. This unprecedented digital expansion unlocks vast opportunities, yet it simultaneously unleashes escalating cybersecurity risks. As technology advances, so too do the sophisticated threats that jeopardize our digital safety.

To navigate this complex landscape and safeguard our connected world, John Brandolino, the Director for the Division for Treaty Affairs at the UN Office for Drugs and Crime, explains why the new international UN Cybercrime Convention is vital for global peace and security.

Learn more about the Convention.

Question: Why does the world need an international cybercrime treaty?

John Brandolino: More than two thirds of the world's population is currently online, and that number keeps growing. Digital technology has revolutionized the way we live, the way we work.

But criminals are taking advantage of this. They're weaponizing these digital technologies using malware, ransomware and hacking tools to steal money, data and other valuable information.

The threat of online scams and fraud have become a feature of everyday life for people around the world. All of us know someone who's been scammed or frauded from fake friend requests targeting our children to our parents being scammed out of their pensions.

Criminals also use information and communication technology to conduct more traditional crimes like drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, fraud and more - and at a greater scale and speed than ever before.

The UN Convention against Cybercrime will help investigators, prosecutors, governments, those that go after cybercrime, to be more coordinated, to be quicker and be ultimately, more effective in addressing these types of crimes– making both our digital and physical worlds safer.

Question: How does the treaty work to protect people?

John Brandolino: The new Cybercrime Convention creates a legal and practical framework for governments to request, preserve and share digital evidence, and provides countries access to a 24/7 network to request, share, and preserve data so that investigators and prosecutors can use to quickly identify and safeguard valuable evidence, ultimately better protecting people from cybercrime.

Another big worry for many people is how to protect their children online. The new Convention is the first-ever global agreement to specifically protect children against sexual violence committed online by criminalizing offences related to online child sexual abuse or exploitation material.

But it’s not just children - anybody, anywhere, can be a victim of cybercrime. The Convention encourages countries to assist and protect victims by giving them access to physical recovery services and removal of illicit content, just as examples.

Question: What is the difference between cyber-enabled and cyber-dependent crimes?

John Brandolino: Cyber-dependent crimes are crimes, like hacking, malware, ransomware, etc. that can’t be committed without digital technology.

Cyber-enabled crimes are what could be described as ‘traditional’ crimes facilitated by digital technology, like drugs trafficking, money laundering or fraud.

The new Convention will help to prevent and address both types of crimes.

Question: What are the next steps to address this fast-evolving challenge?

John Brandolino: First, UN Member States will be invited to a ceremony to sign the Convention, which will take place in Hanoi, Viet Nam in October 2025 and show their intention to ratify and implement the convention. When the convention is ratified by 40 countries, it enters into force.

Governments which become parties to the treaty will then need to update their own domestic laws and regulations to be in line with the Cybercrime Convention and unlock many of its tools. They’ll also need to designate a point of contact for the 24/7 network and train relevant personnel.

One particular aspect of the convention, an important aspect, is that the Convention gets countries to work together, to train each other and build capacity among all investigators, prosecutors and others who are tasked with addressing cybercrime.

As soon as the Convention enters into force, States Parties can benefit from its mechanisms for cross-border cooperation, including mutual legal assistance, extradition, joint investigations and the collection of electronic evidence. These tools can be applied not only to cybercrime but also to other offences, such as terrorism and transnational organized crime.

Question: What can individuals do to protect themselves against cybercrimes?

John Brandolino: : While cyber criminals are savvy and online scams have bilked billions out of unsuspecting internet users all over the world, we need to be smart, and we need to be cautious.

Beware of advertisements or anything that seem too good to be true, like those that promise you a luxury vacation or a glamorous new job. These can get you to install malware on your computer or even be a trap set by a human traffickers or criminals.

Also remember to set proper privacy settings on your online accounts that will help you protect your data, including your contacts, your photos, and beware of strange friend requests.

Report suspicious pages and activities to authorities. Take screenshots of anything that you think is suspicious. These could be useful to later help cybercrime investigators.