Liikanen outlines action to prevent cybercrime hijacking ICT success
Enterprise and Information Society Commissioner Errki Liikanen has said that action is crucial to prevent cybercrime hijacking the success of information and communication (ICT) technologies in Europe. Commissioner Liikanen, opening the first plenary session of the European Forum on Cybercrime in Brussels on 28 November, said: 'When discussing security threats, we should not forget that it is actually the success of the information society that also attracts criminal activities and threatens network security.' He explained that information technologies are now fundamental to European economy and society, and that 'the more networks are used for legitimate economic and social purposes, the more potential they offer for illegal activities either directly or in providing information and communication support to traditional crimes.' New information and communication technologies are revolutionising our economies and societies, said Mr Liikanen, with e-commerce '[driving] a re-invention of the very concepts of companies and marketplaces.' But he explained that it is this emerging economic force which needs to be protected by developing security and tackling cybercrime. Mr Liikanen highlighted the eEurope action plan, adopted by the European Council in June last year, which aims to increase security and step up the fight against cybercrime to protect the 'communication networks and information technology [that] have become a critical part of the infrastructure of our economies.' He also pointed to a variety of measures to tackle cybercrime, drawing attention to a 'cybersecurity and cybercrime' communication issued by the Commission in January 2001 and jointly sponsored by Commissioner Liikanen and Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner, Antonio Vitorino. The communication, the first comprehensive policy statement of the European Commission on cybercrime, announces a number of initiatives. It includes a proposal for a framework decision that includes measures to combat child pornography. At the technical level, the Commission has been promoting research and development in this area using the Information Society Technology (IST) programme to boost the development of confidence-building technologies. In addition, the Commission plans to adopt shortly a proposal for a framework decision to combat serious attacks on information systems such as hacking and the spread of viruses. In June, Mr Liikanen said, the Commission issued a communication on 'network and information security' to complement the forthcoming framework decision proposal and tackle some of the issues addressed in the January communication in greater detail. While the framework decision will deal with the prevention of crime, the second will facilitate the efficiency of ex-post criminal investigations. He explained, however, that the task of formulating effective policy to combat cybercrime involves a balancing act between issues such as network security, economic priorities and the protection of privacy. The issue of the retention of traffic data - a by-product of electronic communication which can prove useful in criminal investigations - has gained a new importance since the terrorist attacks of 11 September in the USA, according to Mr Liikanen. The retention of such data is limited in line with the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights. The regulations state that personal data may only be processed when necessary for legitimate purposes. Both EU data protection directives and the European Court on Human Rights also set out exceptional cases where this principle can be overlooked in the name of public security, defence interests or the prevention and investigation of criminal activity. However, extending the storage time of traffic data to provide more material for the prevention and investigation of crime, which some law enforcement authorities have called for, raises fundamental legal, social and human rights questions, Mr Liikanen said, calling for further debate to move the issue forward. Mr Liikanen also outlined the tripartite organisation of the Cybercrime Forum announced by the 'cybersecurity and cybercrime' communication. It includes a website where information and discussion papers are published and opinions can be voiced, expert meetings on selected issues and plenary sessions of the Forum in Brussels.