G8 on cybercrime: jaw jaw or war war?

Hawks expected to win out in the wake of Love Bug paranoia

By Tim Richardson • Get more from this author

Posted in Business, 15th May 2000 12:12 GMT

Hitachi IT Operations Analyzer: 30-day free trial.

The G8 group of industrialised nations is gathering in Paris this week to discuss the growing threat of cybercrime.

Academics, industrialists, civil libertarians and others will be discussing ways of tackling Net crime. The three-day summit is being held among a heightened awareness of the problem following the global damage inflicted by the "Love Bug".

While the "Love Bug" will, no doubt, help focus the minds of those attending the meeting, there is a danger that it could influence the proceedings and lead to a tougher stance on Net regulation. Any such move would, no doubt, be hotly contested by the civil liberty groups attending the G8 bash.

And according to Reuters, it sounds as if the summit is already facing discord. The US, it seems, is keen to create an international cyber police force to patrol the Net for scamsters and pervs, while Europe would be happier for less intrusive methods. ®

Free whitepaper – Systems management simplified