Data Disclosure Framework (DDF): General practices developed by international service providers in responding to overseas government requests for data

The Data Disclosure Framework (DDF) is a tool developed by the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
It is the result of active engagement with service providers to provide start-up, smaller companies and micro-platforms with the confidence to respond lawfully to requests for e-evidence in counter-terrorism investigations.
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Digital is the new normal. The Internet is now a natural extension of our daily lives with over 4 billion users worldwide. Digital tools and the Internet, while mostly used to enhance our lives, are also employed by some for illicit purposes. To address the growth of crimes involving electronic evidence, particularly those facilitated by and committed on the Internet, we must stay one step ahead, by strengthening our knowledge and skills while improving inter-agency and international cooperation.

Security Council resolutions 2322 (2016) and 2396 (2017) recognized the importance of re-evaluating methods and best practices, particularly those related to electronic evidence, as well as the challenges faced by Member States in obtaining admissible electronic evidence, stressing the importance of the capacity of Member States to cooperate with the private sector in accordance with applicable law.

To assist in the implementation of these resolutions, this Data Disclosure Framework was developed to improve communication and cooperation between the public and private sectors in their handling of electronic evidence, in line with international human rights laws and the principles of necessity and proportionality.

The present framework is the result of active collaboration among the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), Member States, private sector Internet/communications service providers, academia and international organizations. In order to prevent the exploitation of new technologies by terrorist and other organized criminal groups, all stakeholders, both public and private, need to work together. We are hopeful that this Data Disclosure Framework will provide in-depth learning and knowledge-sharing opportunities to achieve this goal.