By Suzanna Kerridge, 22 June 1999 00:30
NEWS The director of public prosecutions, David Calvert-Smith, has warned lawyers against the dangers of cybercrime. Speaking at the first Crown Prosecution Computer and Internet Crime Conference, Calvert-Smith said cyberstalking, hacking and online harassment are as prevalent as traditional kinds of crime. He claimed the "jurisdictional difficulties and anonymity of the Internet" offer improved opportunities for criminals to indulge in deviant behaviour. AOL and the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) attended the conference. Robin Lawrence, head of the digital crime unit at FAST, said: "Different types of computer crime are now emerging into two clear categories: old crimes carried out in a new fashion over the Web - such as extortion - and new crimes like cyberstalking." He claimed there that has been a 49 per cent increase in computer crime over the last 12 months. However, Internet crime alone accounts for a third of all reported computer crimes. "The most interesting thing is that a year ago, Internet crime was at zero per cent, but now it's at 30 per cent. Cyberstalking, online harassment and hacking are some of the scenarios," he explained. Baljiit Ubhey, the conference organiser, said greater cooperation is needed between the high-tech companies and the law enforcement agencies. She said the industry needed to "spread knowledge about prosecuting in this unique area."
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