A new handbook about the Cybercrime convention warns that the interests of law enforcement are currently prevailing above respect for fundamental human rights. The handbook is written by dr. Yaman Akdeniz from the UK not-for-profit organisation Cyber-rights and Cyber-liberties.

The Cyber-Crime Convention (November 2001) and its additional protocol on racist and xenophobic acts committed through computer systems (January 2003) was developed by the Council of Europe, representing 45 European countries. The convention enters into force after ratification by 5 members. Currently only Albania, Croatia and Estonia have ratified the convention; no member state has yet ratified the first protocol.

The report concludes: "Governments and supranational and international organisations should co-operate to respect fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and privacy, and should encourage rather than limit the people's usage of the Internet through excessive regulation at the national level. (...) It should be remembered in the words of Judge Pettiti that 'the mission of the Council of Europe and of its organs is to prevent the establishment of systems and methods that would allow Big Brother to become master of the citizens private life'."