Indonesia signs UN treaty to combat, prevent cybercrime

September 28, 2026

NEW YORK– Indonesia has signed the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime and joined 90 other signatories to the first multilateral treaty aimed at strengthening international cooperation to prevent and combat cybercrime

Foreign Minister Sugiono signed the treaty on Thursday on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, the United States, making Indonesia the 91st signatory to the treaty

Adopted by the UNGA in December 2024, the convention is the first UN treaty to establish a global framework for preventing and combating cybercrime, as well as for cooperation in investigating cross-border offenses and sharing electronic evidence

Among cybercrimes covered by the convention are online scams, online gambling and child pornography, which have emerged as growing concerns in Indonesia amid the rapid expansion of internet use and digital services

“For Indonesia, the convention is important in strengthening efforts to prevent and criminalize cybercrime at the national level,” the Foreign Ministry said on Friday

The ministry added that the convention would provide a basis for Indonesian law enforcement agencies to strengthen international cooperation in combating cybercrime

Indonesia, particularly through the country’s representatives in Vienna, was involved in negotiations as negotiators and rapporteurs since the establishment of the UN ad hoc committee for the convention in 2019

The government will prepare the ratification process and other necessary steps to implement the convention within the national legal framework, the Foreign Ministry went on to say

Cybercrime has loomed over Indonesia in the past few years, with many Indonesians becoming ensnared in online scam operations in several Southeast Asian countries, such as Myanmar and Cambodia

Many are recruited for the operations through social media and informal job brokers, who lure the victims with promises of high-paying jobs only to find themselves coerced into working for online scam syndicates. Others have willingly participated in the transboundary criminal activities

Earlier this year, the National Police said Indonesia may emerge as a new operational hub for transnational online gambling and cyber scam syndicates, with investigators uncovering several cybercrime dens during various raids across the country

Then-Interpol Indonesia’s secretary Brig. Gen. Untung Widyatmoko noted in May a need for better transnational coordination to curb the growing cybercrime hubs, which was also picked up in the Philippines and Timor-Leste

Source: asianews.network