The Parties to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime agreed today to launch the preparation of a protocol to this treaty to help law enforcement secure evidence on servers in foreign, multiple or unknown jurisdictions.  Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary of the Council of Europe, called this a “landmark decision to better protect the rule of law in cyberspace” when opening the 17th Plenary of the Cybercrime Convention Committee earlier on.  “This is not about mass surveillance or activities by national security bodies but about specified data needed in specific criminal investigations. It is about more effective mutual legal assistance, a clearer basis for cooperation with service providers, conditions delimiting current practices of transborder access to data, and about stronger human rights and data protection safeguards”  said Alexander Seger, Executive Secretary of the Committee. Negotiations are expected to last for at least two and a half years.

• T-CY(2017)3 Draft terms of reference for the Preparation of a Draft 2nd Additional Protocol to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime
• Cloud Evidence Group