Cyber-crime law draws closer to reality

The Council of Europe has approved a draft cyber-crime treaty aimed at bringing together international policy on those committing illegal and terrorist activity online.

The legislation must now be signed at a meeting of the Council's 43 member states next month in Budapest, Hungary.

Although the US is a non-member state, it be one of the first to sign the treaty, which needs signatures from only four other countries to make it legally binding.

The convention hopes to standardise the way countries deal with web-based crimes ranging from copyright, child pornography and fraud, to the interception of communications for investigation.

The treaty however has come under attack from civil liberties groups over fears it will encourage International 'Big Brother' style surveillance.