FITUG e.V.
Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft
FITUG e.V.Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft |
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http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&doc=SPEECH/00/344|0|RAPID&lg=EN
Erkki LIIKANEN Member of the European Commission responsible for Enterprise and the Information Society "Trust and security in electronic communications: The European contribution" Information Security Solutions Europe Conference "ISSE 2000" Barcelona, 29 September 2000
DN: SPEECH/00/344 Date: 2000-10-02
TXT: EN PDF: EN Word Processed: EN
SPEECH/00/344
Erkki LIIKANEN
Member of the European Commission responsible for Enterprise and the Information Society
"Trust and security in electronic communications: The European contribution"
Information Security Solutions Europe Conference "ISSE 2000"
Barcelona, 29 September 2000
[...]
3. FIGHTING CYBERCRIME
Does this mean that we can focus our attention on other information society issues? I'm afraid no. Another pressing issue for us is to step up the fight against cybercrime.
Prevention is essential. Thanks to the new legal environment, we can hope that security technologies will take care of most of the job. But if, and when, a major security threat arises, public authorities must have the means to strike back.
One thing is clear: in the Internet age - which is a borderless age - this is not something that can be done in isolation. Thus, governments must urgently reinforce their collaboration in the fight against cybercrime
Important international efforts have been undertaken, in particular by the G8 and the Council of Europe. But there are two main reasons why we should, in parallel, step up our efforts within the EU:
First, making headway at international level is always a complex and time-consuming process. Conflicting national interests can be at stake, and inter-governmental negotiations are always difficult. But within the EU, we share the same interests. And we are used to working together, on the basis of well-oiled mechanisms. So we can go further and faster.
Second, the good work we can do within the EU can have a positive impact at international level. EU countries can present a united front. And they can set an example that can foster greater international collaboration. In sum, we should create fast and efficient mechanisms amongst EU Member States, which could then be extended - at least partly - at international level.
The Commission is currently working on a Communication on cybercrime which aims to set orientations for the future. Hopefully, we will be as successful as we were with our Communication on cryptography of 1997: starting from scratch, we secured the Internal Market for security in a matter of three years.
But whatever action we undertake, the philosophy that must prevail is that the Internet is - and must remain - an area of freedom. Paranoia and fear should not blind us.
Hence the necessity to strike the right balance between, on the one hand, the freedom to move and undertake freely on the Internet, and on the other, the necessity to sometimes restrain this very freedom to defeat crime. Thus, the instruments that law enforcement agencies use must be carefully circumscribed, and be based on very precise rules.
4. SUPPORTING INDUSTRY EFFORTS
Is there anything else the Commission can do besides all that? Yes, there is. We have a lot of leverage power, both trough our financial capacity and through our political influence. We will continue to put this power at the service of the European security industry and citizens in the following ways:
First, by supporting industry efforts through the Information Society Technology Programme. That concerns in particular the development of privacy-enhancing technologies, standardisation and interoperability. A main focus of our action is smartcards which, beyond being a major European strength, is a leading technology for a secure key management. This also concerns technologies which do not yet present a major commercial interest for industry, for instance in the area of electronic democracy.
Second, we support the development of security platforms based on open-source software. The aim is to help the security industry bypass the obstacles created by proprietary software - in particular for desk-top security.
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