Commission steps up war on cybercrime

Date: 30/11/00

By Peter Chapman

JUSTICE Commissioner António Vitorino and information technology chief Erkki Liikanen will unveil details of an EU-wide action plan to combat online crime next week.

The move follows growing concern that criminals are taking advantage of the anonymous and borderless world of the Internet to launder cash, run child pornography rings and steal credit numbers from online shoppers.

Thwarting cybercrime is tough, not least because com-puter servers can be moved quickly between countries. But officials say the Commission believes coordinated Union-wide action can tip the balance in favour of crime-fighters.

"Basically the Commission is going to provide guidelines for better cooperation between member states in order to solve cybercrime," said a spokesman for Liikanen, who described the proposal as an "essential part of the Commission's eEurope initiative".

He added that the plan, due to be approved by the full Commission next Wednesday (6 December), would not call for binding legislation but rather make recommendations to member states.

"It will look at ways to raise awareness of cybercrime, how to improve cooperation between law enforcement agencies and how to protect oneself against infringements of data privacy or integrity of networks," he said. "We have tried to strike a balance between the open nature of the Internet and the necessity to protect personal privacy."

The plans to target cybercrime will be linked to ongoing Commission efforts to thwart organised crime. Vitorino has been pushing through proposals in a raft of areas, including EU asylum policy and cooperation between judiciaries. There are also plans for a Union 'police academy' where officers could share experiences with colleagues from other forces.

Justice Commissioner António Vitorino and information technology chief Erkki Liikanen are due to unveil details of an EU-wide action plan to combat online crime. The move follows growing concern that criminals are taking advantage of the anonymous and borderless world of the Internet to launder cash, run child pornography rings and steal credit numbers from online shoppers.