The Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network participated in a Special Meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the United Nations Security Council on October 28 and 29, 2022, in Mumbai and New Delhi, India.
United Nations members, experts, and relevant stakeholders discussed the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes.
H.E. Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, Chair of the CTC, highlighted that governments and the private sector should work together to harness the promise of emerging technologies to accelerate global progress for the benefit of humankind.
“How we develop and deploy technology will determine how effectively we shall be able to tackle new and emerging threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.” said Mr. Weixiong Chen, Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED).
Ajith Francis, Director of Policy Programs at the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network, shared the key learnings and areas of cooperation for cross-border access to electronic evidence.
“Local law enforcement often struggles to obtain electronic evidence in the investigation and prosecution of crimes from online service providers that are not located within their jurisdiction. Given the way the global digital economy has grown, it is often the case that many of the service providers whose services are consumed globally are often located outside most jurisdictions”, said Mr. Francis.
This situation poses jurisdictional challenges, such as the distribution of roles and responsibilities between the different actors, the need for international legal frameworks that can efficiently allow for cross-border access to electronic evidence, and the need for understanding the applicable level of protections and due-process requirements, he explained.
“The involvement of a broad range of stakeholders is necessary to ensure that measures and policies developed to prevent and counter terrorist and violent extremist abuse of the cyber domain are crafted in a comprehensive and holistic manner, with adequate civil and human rights protections”, stressed Ms. Jennifer Bramlette, Legal Officer and Coordinator for Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED).
