Russia opposes the Convention, stating that adoption would violate Russian sovereignty, and has usually refused to cooperate in law enforcement investigations relating to cybercrime.

Those States that have ratified the additional protocol are required to criminalize the dissemination of racist and xenophobic material through computer systems, as well as threats and insults motivated by racism or xenophobia.

Its main objective, set out in the preamble, is to pursue a common criminal policy aimed at the protection of society against cybercrime, especially by adopting appropriate legislation and fostering.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said: "While balancing civil liberty and privacy concerns, this treaty encourages the sharing of critical electronic evidence among foreign countries so that law enforcement can more effectively investigate and combat these crimes".

For example, law enforcement authorities must be granted the power to compel an Internet service provider to monitor a person's activities online in real time.

According to the Convention, the United States would have to adopt this ban on virtual child pornography as well, however, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, struck down as unconstitutional a provision of the CPPA that prohibited "any visual depiction" that "is, or appears to be, of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct".

In response to the rejection, the U.S. Congress enacted the PROTECT Act to amend the provision, limiting the ban to any visual depiction "that is, or is indistinguishable from, that of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct" (18 U.S.C.

As of January 2025, the non–Council of Europe states that have ratified the treaty are Argentina, Australia, Benin, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Israel, Japan, Kasakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Malawi, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, South Korea, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, the United States, Uruguay, and Vanuatu.

Targeting social networking service such as Facebook and Twitter, the legislation criminalizes fake news and terrorism, setting a flag on accounts which carry more than 5,000 subscribers or followers.