A group of Democratic senators is sounding the alarm over US participation in an upcoming United Nations vote on the cybercrime treaty, fearing that America’s involvement could lend credibility to policies promoted by authoritarian regimes such as China and Russia.

The missiveled by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is addressing top administration officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, arguing that the U.S. “must not to align themselves with repressive regimes” that have committed digital human rights abuses.

The letter raises concerns about abuses by authoritarian nations, particularly around privacy, surveillance and censorship, arguing that the finalized Cybercrime Convention allows for broad definitions of cybercrime and surveillance without strong safeguards for individual users. The lawmakers add that the treaty risks criminalizing bona fide cybersecurity and AI research.

Countries under proposed the treaty must adopt laws or procedures that allow their authorities to request access to computer systems or stored data from individuals or companies. Senators warn that this could erode access to encrypted communications services and give broad jurisdiction back to a country’s own legal standards.

“In Iran, for example, the lack of such requirements could provide international legal cover for the regime’s efforts to promote widespread surveillance and surveillance of women and girls. The Convention also obliges countries to collect and share private data about Internet users with other countries regarding a wide range of crimes,” they write.

The pact, led by the diplomatic and international political standards body, has been in the works for years and has the potential to rewire how countries pursue cybercriminals and prosecute individuals suspected of involvement in cybercrimes against sovereign entities. Nation-state adversaries—namely Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran—are among them the biggest suppliers of cybercrime activity, says the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

But the convention has become a lightning rod for debate among Western officials because it could allow foreign adversaries to have a bigger seat at the table when it comes to debating cross-border issues of intelligence, cyber and surveillance. Russia has sought the creation of an agreement on cybercrime within the UN since 2017.

The White House National Security Council declined to comment on the letter. Both law enforcement and national security officials have debated whether the treaty should get the green light from the US, Politico reported last month.