The New Zealand Parliament has approved the first reading of a bill to align the country’s laws with the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. The Budapest Convention, also known as the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, provides guidelines for international cooperation in investigating various criminal activities carried out online.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith announced the development on Tuesday, stating that the legislation aims to help protect citizens from the growing threat of fraud and cybercrime.
The bill includes the following provisions to meet the requirements of the international treaty:
- Amendments to the Search and Surveillance Act that would require companies to retain important records.
- Amendments to the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act to facilitate easier cooperation with other countries in investigations.
- Minor changes to the Crimes Act that ensure offenses related to cybercrime and computer misuse are comprehensive and aligned with the convention’s standards.
“By joining the convention, we are signalling to the other like-minded countries that we take cybercrime seriously and we are prepared to do our part to eliminate it,” Goldsmith said in a statement. “It will help our law enforcement agencies to protect New Zealanders, by providing the tools they need to detect, investigate and prosecute criminal offending, even when it happens online.”
The legislation was formulated following public consultation in 2020 and approval from the NZ Cabinet a year later.