Cybercrime Digest Bi-weekly update and global outlook by the Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC)

Europe Date: 13 Feb 2018 Tunisia invited to join the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime “Tunisia was invited today to accede to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. With Tunisia, 71 States are now either Parties (56), have signed it (4) or been invited to accede (11). Through the project CyberSouth, the Council of Europe and the European Union are supporting Tunisia in further strengthening of legislation and criminal justice capacities to permit the country to become a Party in the near future.” READ MORE

Source: Council of Europe Date: 7 Feb 2018 Malaysian legislation compatible with the Budapest Convention “Malaysian legislation on cybercrime and e-evidence is sufficiently compatible to request accession to the Budapest Convention, even though further reforms of legislation and capacity building efforts are needed prior to actual accession. This was one of the main conclusions of a “High-level Round Table on the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime”, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 6 and 7 February 2018. The meeting was opened by YB Dato’ Sri Azalina Othman Said, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, who invited representatives of 15 public and private sector institutions to engage in consultations on the readiness of Malaysia to join this treaty.”

the Philippines Date: 13 Feb 2018 Philippines, Senate Approves on 2nd Reading the Cybercrime Convention “The Senate approved today on second reading five treaties, including the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. Senator Loren Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said that the agreements are scheduled for approval on third and final reading on Monday, February 19. Legarda explained that the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime remains the only binding international legal mechanism adopted by countries to address the threats posed by cybercrime. […] The Senator said that the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime will provide the Philippines distinct guideposts on the track towards harmonizing its national laws with prevailing international legal frameworks and practices.”

Source: BBC Date: 12 Feb 2018 Criminals hide ‘billions’ in crypto-cash – Europol “Three to four billion pounds of criminal money in Europe is being laundered through cryptocurrencies, according to Europol. The agency’s director Rob Wainwright told the BBC’s Panorama that regulators and industry leaders need to work together to tackle the problem. The warning comes after Bitcoin’s value fell by half from record highs in December. […] Mr Wainwright said that Europol, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, estimates that about 3-4% of the £100bn in illicit proceeds in Europe are laundered through cryptocurrencies.”

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