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News Release

For = Immediate=20 Release &nbs= p; =20 Contact: Bruce McConnell or Helena Plater-Zyberk

7 = December=20 2000 &nbs= p; = ; = =20 =20 Telephone: =20 +1.202.347.7445

&nbs= p; = ; = &= nbsp; =20 =20 E-mail: = info@mcconnellinternation= al.com

&nbs= p; = ; = &= nbsp; &n= bsp; =20 = Web: http://www.mcconnellinter= national.com/=20

&nbs= p; = ; =20 WITSA Contact: Tinabeth Burton, +1.703.284.5305

=20 tburton@itaa.org

Global Cyber Crime: Weak Laws Threaten = E-Commerce

Self-Protection Is Principal=20 Defense

WASHINGTON=97Gaps=20 in national criminal laws make successful prosecution of = international=20 cyber crimes uncertain in many countries, according to a report = issued=20 today by McConnell International LLC, a global policy and = technology=20 management consulting firm. The report, Cyber=20 Crime . . . and Punishment? Archaic Laws Threaten Global=20 Information, finds that only nine of 52 countries analyzed = have=20 extended their criminal laws into cyberspace to cover most types = of cyber=20 crimes. =20

=20 =93The long arm of the law does not yet reach across the = global=20 Internet,=94 said Bruce W. McConnell, the firm=92s president. =93Organizations must = rely on their=20 own defenses for now. =20 Governments, industry, and civil society must work together = to=20 develop consistent and enforceable national laws to deter future = crime in=20 cyberspace.=94

=20 The report looked at ten different types of cyber crime in = four=20 categories: data-related crimes, including interception,=20 modification, and theft; network-related crimes, including=20 interference and sabotage; crimes of access, including = hacking and=20 virus distribution; and associated computer-related crimes, = including aiding and abetting cyber criminals, computer fraud, and = computer forgery. = The report=20 analyzed Albania, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Canada, = Chile,=20 China, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, = Estonia,=20 Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Gambia, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, = Italy,=20 Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malaysia, = Malta,=20 Mauritius, Moldova, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, = Norway,=20 Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, = Turkey,=20 United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Zambia, and = Zimbabwe=20 to determine whether their laws had been amended to cover these=20 crimes. =20

=20 Thirty-three of the countries surveyed have not yet updated = their=20 laws to address any type of cyber crime. Of the remaining = countries, ten=20 have enacted legislation to address five or fewer types of cyber = crime,=20 and nine have updated their laws to prosecute against six or more = of the=20 ten types. Of those = countries, only one, the Philippines, indicated that updated = legislation=20 is currently in place to prosecute a future perpetrator of all of = types of=20 crimes.

=20 Harris Miller, President of the World Information = Technology=20 Services Alliance (WITSA), stated, =93This report underscores the = importance=20 of ongoing public and private sector efforts to improve the = security of=20 cyberspace. By = working=20 closely with industry, governments can create legal regimes that = deter=20 cyber crimes while assuring continued technological growth and=20 innovation.=94

=20 In addition to highlighting the efforts of 19 countries = that have=20 partially or fully updated their criminal laws, the report = identifies=20 efforts underway in 17 countries that have not updated their laws, = including Cuba, Latvia, New Zealand, and Zambia. Copies of existing and = draft laws,=20 along with the report itself, are available at http://www.mcconnellinter= national.com/.=20

McConnell=20 International positions its corporate and government clients to = take=20 maximum advantage of the new economy by providing strategic advice, building=20 partnerships, opening doors, creating international visibility, = and=20 research, analysis, and project design. It has a = world-class track=20 record solving tough international technology management problems = for=20 large organizations and is a recognized expert on the global = e-business=20 climate.

=20 The World Information Technology and Services Alliance is a = consortium of 41 information technology (IT) industry associations = from=20 economies around the world. As the global voice of the IT = industry, WITSA=20 is dedicated to advocating=20 policies that advance the industry's growth and development; = facilitating=20 international trade and investment in IT products and services;=20 strengthening its national industry associations; providing = members with a=20 network of contacts; and hosting the World Congress on IT. For more information, = visit http://www.witsa.org/.