INTERNATIONAL LEGAL INSTRUMENTS AND FOREIGN COUNTRIESʼ EXPERIENCE IN COMBATING CYBERCRIME

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the international legal framework for combating cybercrime and the advanced experience of foreign states in this field. The author first critically examines the diverse scholarly approaches to the concept of “cybercrime” found in legal literature (D.N. Karpova, I.G. Chekunov, N.Shevko) and, on this basis, proposes a generalized definition. The article chronologically analyzes key international legal instruments, ranging from the 1989 Council of Europe Recommendation to the 2001 Budapest Convention on Cybercrime and its additional protocols, as well as the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2024. Particular attention is given to bilateral treaties concluded by the Republic of Uzbekistan with Belarus, Cyprus, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Turkmenistan, and Turkey. The central part of the article presents a comparative legal analysis of the institutional and regulatory experience of Sweden, Japan, Germany, China, the United States, the United Kingdom and Estonia in countering cybercrime, supported by current statistical data. Furthermore, the development trends of cybercrime and the effectiveness of measures to combat it were scientifically analyzed using official statistical data from foreign countries. Based on the findings of the study, the author formulates and substantiates practical recommendations aimed at introducing a unified national cybercrime reporting system, ensuring mandatory and timely information exchange among government agencies, banks, and telecommunications operators, enhancing the capacity for rapid response to every cybercrime incident, and systematically implementing public awareness and prevention measures.