Building a foundation for global cybercrime law enforcement
Tom Kellermann · Computer Fraud & Security · 2010
For over a decade now, policy-makers – and more frequently those tasked with enforcing the few cybercrime laws that already exist – have been openly decrying the ability of national and international law enforcement agencies to make any significant headway in catching and prosecuting cybercriminals. This situation has been largely driven, most agree, by the lack of any truly cohesive policies and mechanisms put in place by the world's leading nations that would allow law enforcement to more easily work across international borders. However, recent months have seen new hope for progress in this arena with the progression through the US Congress of two Bills – the International Cybercrime Reporting and Co-operation Act and the 2009 Cybersecurity Act. Both of these aim to put the wheels in place to encourage developing-world governments to make the international telecommunications and financial sectors more secure. People living outside the US may have not yet read much about it, but for those of us here in the US, and more specifically cybersecurity advocates like myself working in close proximity to Capitol Hill, there's been cause for renewed hope recently in the endeavour to empower greater global co-operation in pursuit of the world's cybercriminals.