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e-Crime Reduction - 23rd February 2009

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The 2009 ISPA Parliamentary Advisory Forum took place on Monday 23rd February in Portcullis House, Westminster on the issue of e-crime reduction. The event was hosted by Rt. Hon Alun Michael MP and was well attended by Parliamentarians, Government officials, law enforcement representatives, press and leading figures from industry.

The keynote address was delivered by Parliamentary under-Secretary of State at the Home Office Alan Campbell MP. The Minister spoke of the methods available to reduce e-crime including the recently formed Police Central e-Crime Unit (PceU). The unit was set-up to help combat and reduce e-crime with the National Fraud Reporting Centre to act as a central reporting and investigation hub, as part of the National Fraud Strategic Authority. The Minister spoke of the need to improve the public’s confidence on the Internet and the work being done by Get Safe Online to protect against Internet threats and e-crime.

Also speaking on the day was Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie from the Police Central e-Crime Unit (PceU) who explained that e-crime is an international problem and emphasised the importance of working with the international community. She explained that very few crimes were now committed without the use of technology and reported that the PceU would continue to work on investigations of a national impact. She emphasised that the Internet was a huge area and that the public needed to know that there was some structure there to protect them. She said the PceU and the National Fraud Reporting Centre would work together to create an effective system to gather intelligence, investigate and prosecute perpetrators of crime.

Following Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie, Phil Davies, Head of Intelligence and Investigation at BSkyB spoke of the threats to service providers and the products and services offered to keep customers safe online. He spoke of the close relationship with the Metropolitan Police and the need for companies to work together to share information to reduce fraud and piracy. He emphasised that Industry must warn businesses and the public in a way that is helpful to the consumer and does not cause unnecessary alarm, and where possible work with others to reduce the threat of online crime.

Mikko Hypponen from F-Secure re-iterated that e-crime was an international problem and that the current challenges originated in new areas. He spoke of the security shift in the last 20 years on the Internet from hackers conducting illegal activity for fun to illegal activity being carried out by organised criminals. He spoke of the need to take away the responsibility of Internet safety from the end-user and to give it to software, hardware and Internet services providers working with authorities to share information and protect the public.

A lively and informed question and answer session followed the presentations. Discussion was wide ranging with delegates raising issues about a non-legislative approach to reducing e-crime and the depth of international co-operation. Summarising the Rt. Hon Alun Michael MP emphasised the importance of public safety and recognised the shift in the focus of online criminal activity. He said that industry needed to share information and work together internationally in a timely manner. Questions came from a number of delegates including MPs, Government officials and industry representatives. Following the conclusion of the question and answer session, informal discussions continued over food and drinks.

ISPA would like to extend our gratification to the host and speakers for their contribution to the event and would like to thank the sponsor, F-Secure, and all those who attended.