Ireland was one of 17 European countries which did not sign a European convention to combat cybercrime, it was confirmed today.
The Council of Europe (CoE) said 30 states signed the convention including 26 European countries, South Africa, Canada, the United States and Japan.
Russia, Denmark, Ireland and the Czech Republic were among the European countries not to sign the European treaty which is the first international cybercrime convention and took four years to draft.
The CoE said the treaty European treaty would give law enforcers broad international reach but would not be a Big Brother type agency.
"Contrary to what has been said in certain circles, we are not going to set up a 'Big Brother'," CoE's legal affairs director, Mr Guy de Vel, told a news conference after 30 countries signed the new convention in Hungary's Parliament.
Under the treaty, signatories will have to set up national centres on around-the-clock standby to provide mutual assistance on all matters of computer crime - from hacking and embezzling to life-threatening felonies.
It will enter into force once it has been ratified by five states, including at least three CoE members. The wide-ranging convention covers most computer-related crimes but, after objections by the United States, not incitement to racial hatred.
While Europe is as keen to ban racial hate from the Internet as it is to fight child pornography, Washington was concerned that including racist and xenophobic websites in the agreement would go against the First Amendment to the US Constitution - on freedom of expression.
Under a compromise deal, racial hatred will be covered by a side protocol to be drafted by next July.
The Americans have got to think this through a bit, said Lord Russell-Johnston, President of the CoE's Parliamentary Assembly, adding the US position was being looked at again in the light of the September 11 attacks against the country.
The attitudes of the United States on a number of these issues have not only been revised after September 11th, but are still under serious revision, Russell-Johnston said.