Up-to-date domestic criminal law in line with the Convention on Cybercrime (the Budapest Convention) remains a key element in addressing cybercrime and handling electronic evidence for countries across the globe. 

An updated cursory overview of the Global State of Cybercrime Legislation prepared by the Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC) indicates that by mid-December 2023, 95% of the UN Member States are engaged in reform of their legislation on cybercrime and electronic evidence, with 131 States (or 68% of UN Member States)  considered to have criminalised offences against and by means of computers largely in line with the Convention on Cybercrime. And 99 States (or 51%) have also provided their criminal justice authorities with specific procedural powers to investigate cybercrime and secure electronic evidence. In both respects, this represents nearly 100% increase over the ten years since 2013, when the first survey of this type was carried out.

These findings remain highly relevant for the current negotiation of a “Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes” by the United Nations. The more consistent the text of the future Treaty is with that of the Convention on Cybercrime, the more likely it is to find consensus. Conversely, the more the concepts and text of the future Treaty diverge from the Convention on Cybercrime, the less likely it is to come to an agreement.

Consult the Global State of Cybercrime Legislation 2013-2023: A Cursory Overview (version 8 December 2023)

Consult the dedicated webpage of the Convention on Cybercrime