CyberLaw Blog

Archive for the ‘cybercrime’ Category

Commission proposes new EU cybercrime law: “The European Commission wants to harmonise the laws of EU member states dealing with cyber-attacks. It wants to create a new Directive on attacks on information systems, it said in a statement.“

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

Teens appear in court on crime forum charges: “SNIPPET: Their story bore all the hallmarks of a Hollywood caper, but for two teenagers the goings on in a London court last week were all too real. Nicholas Webber and Ryan Thomas appeared in court accused of managing an online crime forum.“

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

EU plans IP address snatch to battle cybercrime: “

Proposes new anti-cybercrime body

An international cybercrime centre will be able to revoke domain names and IP addresses under new proposals by European governments.…

“

(Via The Register – Public Sector.)

UN split on cybercrime conventions: “A United Nations committee on international crime prevention is split on how to deal with cybercrime. Some countries want the existing European convention to be adopted worldwide, while others want a completely new agreement to be created.“

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

Directorate of Communication – Cybercrime lawmakers call for worldwide implementation of the Budapest Convention

Press release – 254(2010)
Cybercrime lawmakers call for worldwide implementation of the Budapest Convention

Strasbourg, 25.03.2010 – At its 5th annual conference on cybercrime, the Council of Europe called for a worldwide implementation of its Convention on Cybercrime to sustain legislative reforms already underway in many countries and a global capacity-building initiative to combat web-based crimes and enhance trust in information and communication technologies.

Participants underlined the need to make the best possible use of existing tools, instruments, good practices and initiatives. They recommended that a global action plan be launched by the Council of Europe and the United Nations to get a clearer picture of criminal justice capacities and urgent needs, mobilise resources, provide support and assess progress made.

‘The UN Crime Congress in April 2010 will be an opportunity to reinforce our global response to the global threat of cybercrime and cyberterrorism. I think we will have the best chance to succeed if we unite around one international instrument which already exists – namely the Council of Europe Cybercrime Convention,’ said Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, speaking at the opening of the conference.

Countries worldwide have been turning to the Budapest Convention since its adoption in 2001. During the conference, Portugal announced the ratification of the Convention and Argentina has made a request for accession.

The conference also highlighted the need to further establish dynamic partnerships between the public and private sectors and their shared responsibility in ensuring security and protecting human rights on the Internet. In this context, the conference proposed the establishment of a contact list for enhanced co-operation between law enforcement and industry.

Last but not least, participants called on ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) to strengthen its oversight role of the Internet domain name registration process in order to allow both the protection of private data of individual registrants (in particular in the WHOIS database) as well as the opportunity for law enforcement to use the database to fight cybercrime and cyberterrorism.

The Council of Europe will continue to address the issue of ‘cloud computing’ and intends to ensure that globally trusted privacy and data protection standards and policies are put in place, and that both its Cybercrime Convention and its Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data are applied more widely and efficiently. A human rights and privacy dimension should be brought in the discussions of next year’s conference on cybercrime.

Held in Strasbourg from 23 to 25 March, the conference brought together 300 cybercrime experts from some 60 countries, the private sector and international organisations to also discuss ways of combating online child pornography, mapping networks and initiatives as well as training for judges and prosecutors.

The conclusions of the conference will be made available at: www.coe.int/cybercrime.

Why Nominet disconnected more than 1,000 sites with no court oversight: “The body responsible for the .uk internet addresses disconnected over 1,200 websites without any oversight from a court. The much-publicised action last month was based only on police assertions about criminal activity on the sites.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

Government sets up two new cyber security bodies: “The Government will create two new public bodies to help protect Government and citizens from digital security threats. It will set up one strategy body and one operations centre to increase the UK’s cyber security, it said.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

Regional e-crime squads to be created to combat cybercrime: “Police forces across the UK plan to pool their e-crime specialists to create regional cybercrime squads. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said that that e-crime policing needed a ‘more consistent’ approach.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

ITU – Understanding Cybercrime: A Guide for Developing Countries: “(ITU)
The ITU Understanding Cybercrime Guide aims to help developing countries better understand the national and international implications of growing cyber-threats, assess the requirements of existing national regional and international instruments, and assist countries in establishing a sound legal foundation. The Guide provides a comprehensive overview of the most relevant topics linked to the legal aspects of cybercrime.

“

(Via QuickLinks Update.)

ITU – Toolkit for Cybercrime Legislation: “(ITU)
The ITU Toolkit for Cybercrime Legislation aims to provide countries with sample legislative language and reference material that can assist in the establishment of harmonized cybercrime laws and procedural rules. The Toolkit is a practical instrument that countries can use for the elaboration of a cybersecurity legal framework and related laws. The development of the ITU Toolkit for Cybercrime Legislation was undertaken by a multidisciplinary international group of experts.

“

(Via QuickLinks Update.)