[FYI] FBI chief urges laws on cybercrime

["Axel H Horns" <horns@t-online.de>]

http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3UOETWD
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FBI chief urges laws on cybercrime 

By Gwen Robinson in Washington - 28 Mar 2000 20:04GMT  

The head of the FBI on Tuesday warned that US laws were not keeping 
up with the growing pace and sophistication of cybercrime, and called 
for changes to the legal procedures governing investigation and 
prosecution of such crimes.  

Louis Freeh, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, told a 
Senate committee that law enforcement agencies such as the FBI 
required a stronger regulatory framework and resources to deal with 
the expected growth of technology-related crime. "In the cyber 
equivalent of an arms race, exploits evolve as hackers design 
variations to evade or overcome detection software and filters."  

Mr Freeh said that generally, existing laws had enabled the FBI and 
other agencies to investigate and prosecute large-scale cases of 
cyber crime. "Nonetheless, just as computer crime has evolved and 
mutated over the years, so too must our laws and procedures evolve to 
meet the changing nature of these crimes."  

He urged Congress to support legislation, known as the Cyberspace 
Electronic Security Act, proposed by the Justice Department late last 
year to strengthen investigative techniques available to law 
enforcers and increase resources for cyber investigation. He also 
urged a review of current sentencing provisions for computer crimes.  

[...]

One example of legal problems facing law enforcement agencies was the 
jurisdictional limitation of "trap-and-trace" orders issued by 
federal district courts, Mr Freeh said. "These orders allow only the 
capturing of tracing information, not the content of communications." 

[...]  

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