The Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Justice of Algeria jointly organised a national conference on cybercrime during 24 and 25 September 2023, in Algiers, Algeria.

The event, held in the framework of the CyberSouth project - a joint endeavour of the Council of Europe and of the European Union - offered the opportunity to assess the steps undertaken and results achieved to address cybercrime in the last five years.

Abderrezak Bensalem, Acting Director General of Judicial and Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Justice of Algeria, noted the importance of the National Authority for the Protection of Personal Data, which “will enable legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks to meet the international standards set out in the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, and in its First and Second [Additional] Protocols.”

Participants from the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Law Enforcement Agencies, Specialised Prosecution Office, National Body for preventing and fighting cybercrime, Bank of Algeria and Service Providers shared information on their activities, identifying national priorities that would need to be addressed in the near future. Topics covered included threats and trends on cybercrime; the role of national policy makers in establishing a sound legal framework in line with international standards; interagency co-operation on cybercrime and electronic evidence; co-operation tools offered by the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) and its Second Additional Protocol; the role of the 24/7 network, as well as investigating and seizing cryptocurrencies.

 CyberSouth project webpage

 Convention on cybercrime (Budapest Convention)

 Second Additional Protocol to the Cybercrime Convention on enhanced co-operation and disclosure of electronic evidence