A controversial international treaty aimed at combating online crime has entered the home stretch before ratification.

The parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe issued its approval for the current draft of the treaty Tuesday, spokeswoman Sabine Zimmer said. It now goes back to a committee of experts for the creation of the final draft. The 43-nation Council of Europe, not affiliated with the European Union, has spearheaded the treaty, which will be open for non-European countries to join as well. Experts from Australia, Canada, Japan, and the United States are involved in the drafting process, Zimmer said. Signatory countries will be obliged to criminalize certain offenses and to cooperate internationally in prosecuting online crime. Industry and privacy groups have been harshly critical of the treaty process, which they say has been secretive and aims to drastically expand police powers without taking into account privacy or human rights considerations. ISPs are concerned with the cost and potential liability of implementing what they call vague rules requiring service providers to track data and cooperate with law enforcement, said Joe McNamee, a spokesman for EuroISPA, which represents European ISPs. The draft treaty can be read online at http://conventions.coe.int/treaty/EN/cadreprojets.htm.