Symbolic Policy of the Council of Europe’s Cybercrime Treaty

The development and evolution of cyberspace has led to various forms of cybercrime. Thus, in recent decades, countries have taken steps to combat cybercrime with the codification of international treaties. One of these international treaties is the EU Cybercrime Treaty (Budapest Convention), which was ratified as the first cybercrime treaty in 2001. This article describes how the Convention contains the elements of symbolic policy: reassuring the public that action is being taken to thwart the arms of cybercrime, educating the public about cybercrime, acting as a model for state, and acting as a deterrent for those who are considering acts of cybercrime. The analysis raise questions about the effectiveness of this Treaty and other policies toward preventing international cybercrime and law enforcement’s ability to fight this problem. For example, to what extent is the law applicable to the fight against cybercrime and why, after many years of ratification, the treaty still lacks the necessary binding force, and most countries have doubts about its ratification. This descriptive-analytical study seeks to explain the symbolic policies of the treaty and answer those questions.