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FBI chief urges laws on cybercrime

http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3UOETWD6C

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.

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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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