[FYI] (Fwd) BBC: Cybercrime Treaty gets green light

["Axel H Horns" <horns@ipjur.com>]

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From:           	Owen Blacker <owen.blacker@wheel.co.uk>
To:             	UK Crypto list <ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk>
Subject:        	BBC: Cybercrime Treaty gets green light
Date sent:      	Mon, 12 Nov 2001 13:45:34 -0000
Send reply to:  	ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1651000/1651381.stm

| Monday, 12 November, 2001, 13:15 GMT
| Cybercrime treaty gets green light
|
| A controversial treaty that tries to tackle cybercrime has been |
adopted by the 43-nation Council of Europe. | | The treaty outlaws
some online activities such as fraud and child | pornography,
clarifies some jurisdictional issues and outlines what | police forces
can do when pursuing computer criminals. | | The treaty is due to be
signed by member states later this month, | but it will take years to
be formally adopted and influence | legislation in the individual
countries taking it up. | | Critics say the treaty grants sweeping
snooping powers to police | forces, but does little to protect online
privacy and liberty. An | early draft of the treaty was condemned as
"appalling" by pressure | groups. | | Cybercrime blueprint | | The
treaty tries to standardise just what constitutes cybercrime and |
allows national police forces to ask their overseas counterparts to |
help with investigations or even detain suspects wanted in |
connection with the crimes they commit overseas. | | The treaty passed
through more than 27 drafts before reaching its | final version. | |
The final document is widely seen as a blueprint that will be |
followed by other regional organisations and governments when |
updating existing laws or drafting similar legislation. | | Member
states will get a chance to sign the treaty at a cybercrime |
conference taking place in Budapest on 23 November. | | The treaty
comes into force once five nations, including at least | three that
are CoE members, have ratified it. Already the US, Japan | and Canada
have been invited to adopt the treaty. | | Democratic conflict | |
Critics of the treaty have few complaints about what it categorises |
as criminal, but they do worry that the powers it grants to police |
forces could erode online privacy. | | Many nations, such as the UK,
already have in place legislation that | lets police forces monitor
online life, and some experts fear that | these powers will be
extended by nations adopting the treaty. | | Early drafts of the
treaty brought the condemnation of the Global | Internet Liberty
Campaign - a broad coalition of more than 30 | groups, which includes
civil libertarians, think-tanks, ethical | hackers and academics. | |
GILC expressed its misgivings about the treaty in a letter released |
late last year. | | It said the process by which the treaty was
drafted was "at odds | with democratic decision making" because much
of it was done in | secret. | | The letter said the treaty's "lack of
consideration towards civil | liberties was appalling" and called on
the Council to redraft it. | | [ends]

- -- 
Owen Blacker | Senior Software Developer and InfoSecurity Consultant
See http://www.owens-place.org.uk/pgp.html -- more about my PGP keys
Sig  0xb48e805e | 0e31 ac2a 4ff2 62a0 89da  ddef 4223 99a6 b48e 805e -
-- They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary
 safety deserve neither liberty nor safety --Benjamin Franklin, 1759
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-- 
Owen Blacker
Senior Software Developer / InfoSec Consultant    Wheel: Clerkenwell
See http://www.owens-place.org.uk/pgp.html -- more about my PGP keys
Sig  0xb48e805e | 0e31 ac2a 4ff2 62a0 89da  ddef 4223 99a6 b48e 805e

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