Press release

Attorneys General lead international cooperation to combat cybercrime

Five Attorneys General from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have today formalised their international cooperation in the fight against cybercrime.

• From: Attorney General's Office and The Rt Hon Geoffrey Cox KC MP
• Published: 31 July 2019
• Last updated: 1 August 2019 — See all updates

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox QC MP signing the Statement surrounded by (from right to left) the Attorney General of the USA, Attorney General of New Zealand, Associate Deputy Minister of Canada and Minister of Home Affairs for Australia.

At a meeting held in London, the Quintet signed a statement reaffirming their support of the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime – also known as the Budapest Convention – as a strong, legally-binding framework to combat cybercrime.

Quintet of Attorneys General Statement on international cooperation on cybercrime

PDF, 204 KB, 3 pages

The statement also supports the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Expert Group on Cybercrime (IEG), the United Nations forum in which substantive experts gather to discuss responses to cybercrime, and is best placed to take account of a comprehensive set of viewpoints and possible solutions on the subject of cybercrime. The IEG will produce recommendations on cybercrime to the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Commission) in 2021.

The Quintet also discussed a range of shared issues affecting their various jurisdictions including corporate criminal liability, sentencing frameworks, hostile state activity, social media and data privacy issues and the use of artificial intelligence to improve efficiency in the legal system.

Commenting on the meeting, UK Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox QC MP, said:

The Quintet is bound by a respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law. We also share a common concern about the evolution and complexity of challenges posed by cybercrime.

International cooperation is vital in the fight against cybercrime and my Quintet counterparts and I believe the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) is the best means to do this. We hope that our statement sends a clear message: we stand united in our efforts to tackle this threat.

Quintet of Attorneys General communiqué

PDF, 133 KB, 3 pages

Published 31 July 2019
Last updated 1 August 2019 + show all updates

1. 1 August 2019

   Added link to Quintet communiqué.

2. 31 July 2019

   First published.