From 20 to 22 November, ministers, other senior government officials, legal experts in criminal matters, and representatives of the internet industry, civil society and data protection organisations from all over the world will be meeting at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg with a view to strengthening international co-operation in the fight against cybercrime.
The Octopus conference will examine ways in which the rule of law in cyberspace can be strengthened through a Protocol to the Budapest Convention. Consultations will be held with civil society, data protection experts and representatives of the industry who will review proposals for ensuring more effective security of electronic evidence essential to criminal investigations, for example, through mutual legal assistance and direct co-operation with service providers. The Protocol should be finalised by the end of 2020.
The discussions will focus on several other topics:
- online child sexual abuse and exploitation: this workshop will look at the policies and measures to guarantee the effectiveness of investigations, prosecutions and victim support;
- data protection and criminal justice: several case studies will be presented;
- co-operation in cybercrime and cybersecurity matters: the aim is to improve co-operation between criminal justice authorities and cybersecurity stakeholders, in particular by agreeing on common definitions or procedures for dealing with incidents and collecting electronic evidence, and in areas such as the protection of critical infrastructures;
- cybercrime, fake news and election interference: this workshop will be looking at the risks and the measures to be taken.
The conference will open on Wednesday 20 November at 2 p.m. (Assembly Chamber).
