Liikanen puts spotlight on 'cybercrime'
Mr Erkki Liikanen, Commissioner for Enterprise and the information society has promised a crack down on the burgeoning problem of Internet-related crime. Speaking at a meeting at the European Parliament on September 19, he outlined the Commission's strategy for dealing with 'cybercrime'. He warned that the very characteristics that encouraged the expansion of Internet culture and commerce - its openness - were also the main reason for the growing problems of illegal activities. The Commission had a duty to ensure that the potential benefits of the Internet were not stymied by concerns over the security of data transmitted on line, he said. Two directives have already been adopted to protect the privacy of users and the Commission would also take steps to control the dissemination of offensive material such as child pornography and racist propaganda. Further measures were intended to address the problems caused by computer specific activities such as hacking, distribution of computer viruses and electronic fraud. A more recent development has been the increasing incidence of disputes involving the misuse of intellectual property through 'cybersquatting', 'warehousing' and 'reverse hijacking'. A proposal for a directive on copyright was before the European Parliament and would deal directly with these issues, he said. A comprehensive eEurope action plan focused on maintaining Internet security and preserving the trust of consumers and businesses was set out at the European Council meeting in June. The Commission also recognised that cybercrime does not respect international boundaries. Therefore collaboration between international agencies was vital and the Commission was actively engaged in discussions with the Council of Europe and the G8 group of nations. However, the main challenge facing the EU was in educating its own citizens in protecting themselves against cybercrime. Systems for protecting computers against viruses and other threats are already available but they are insufficiently used by both businesses and individual computer users. 'If you buy a new car, you do not leave it in the middle of town with the doors unlocked and the key in the ignition,' Mr Liikanen pointed out. 'The same notions should also apply to the Internet.'