Thursday, 9 March 2000 12:00 (ET)
Officials target 'Net law enforcement By MICHAEL KIRKLAND
WASHINGTON, March 9 (UPI) -- A new administration report on Internet crime released Thursday says cyberspace should be treated just like the real world when it comes to law enforcement and prosecution of criminals.
The administration is trying to counteract what it considers the prevailing ethos among many users of the Internet, that the laws of the "physical world" do not always apply "in the wild" of cyberspace.
Attorney General Janet Reno, who joined other officials in releasing the report at the Justice Department, cited credit card fraud and hacker attacks on Web sites. Even the "Wild West had Wyatt Earp" to enforce the law, she said.
But officials also made it clear they do not want to blunt the vitality of the Internet with a too heavy hand from government.
"We absolutely must do this right," said Commerce Secretary William Daily. "People must trust the Internet."
Daily insisted that there was no need for new laws to punish cyber-crime. "In most cases, our (existing) laws do work," he said, adding that there is a need to apply more resources to the problem, but it should be done in a way that is "not harmful to the Internet."
The commerce secretary said administration policy is to "let business lead the way" in setting new safety guidelines for the World Wide Web. "We don't want them (e-commerce companies) to be online cops," Daily said, "we want them to be online Neighborhood Watch groups."
Joining Daily and Reno in releasing the report, American Online assistant general counsel John Ryan said the new report and its recommendations provide "a framework for dialogue" between the private and public sectors, not hard and fast rules.
Ryan said existing federal law, such as the Privacy Act, must provide adequate safeguards for consumer privacy. "The growth of the medium depends on consumer trust and confidence," he added.
President Clinton ordered that the report, "The Electronic Frontier: The challenge of unlawful conduct involving the use of the Internet," last August.
The report has three principal recommendations.
First, that cyber-space be treated like the real world when it comes to crime. In the government-speak of the report, official policy should ensure "that online conduct is treated in a manner consistent with the way offline conduct is treated, in a technology neutral manner, and in a manner that accounts for important societal interests such as privacy and protection of civil liberties."
Second, that law enforcement should meet the "significant" new challenges of the Internet with new training, resources, investigative tools and cooperation among the federal, state and local levels.
And third, government must support "private sector leadership" in the development of "cyberethics," new technological tools and consumer support to combat crime on the Internet. Again, in government-speak, the federal government must foster private-sector initiatives that "educate and empower Internet users to prevent and minimize the risks of unlawful activity."
Reno said she would be holding conferences on both coasts this year to further define law enforcement's approach to the Internet.
Daily said the issue is important because almost everyone's life is now affected by the computer world. "A few years ago it was up to you whether you wanted to play in the Internet," he said. "Today, you don't have a choice. You're in there."
Copyright 2000 by United Press International.
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