The United Nations General Assembly has reportedly passed a Russian-led resolution on a global cybercrime treaty, despite concerns that it could be used to violate freedom of expression in repressive countries.
 
According to the Associated Press on Saturday, the resolution was put to a vote at a session of the 193-member General Assembly the previous day and passed in a vote of 79 to 60 with 33 abstentions.
 
The approval came a month after the UN Third Committee passed the resolution, sponsored by China, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Syria.
 
The resolution aims to create a new international convention on cybercrime and set up a committee of experts representing all regions of the world to elaborate the convention. The committee is scheduled to meet in August next year to agree on an agenda for its upcoming activities.
 
The resolution, however, has been disapproved by the United States and the European Union as many fear the resolution will allow for crackdowns on expression.