Microsoft and 33 other tech companies took matters into their owns hands and signed the “Cybersecurity Tech Accord,” which has similar goals to the Digital Geneva Convention.
This is hardly comparable to the Geneva Convention. For one thing, where are there any teeth for a signatory to this accord that either makes a discreet exception or decides to withdraw?
The second point is that this has the notable downside of singling out which companies governments should try to infiltrate, compromise, or target their hacking efforts. So, while terrorists, dissidents, and criminals know which IT solutions to prefer, this hardly makes it a slam dunk.
Finally, it should be noted that not all signatories are making the same level of commitment. For instance, Cloud Flare has shown a willingness to drop certain controversial customers (e.g. white supremacists). So, it means something different when
they sign this, as compared with a company who provides products without the ability to control who buys it.