Strengthening International Law Enforcement Cooperation to Prosecute Cyber Criminals, Hackers and Virus Authors
Strengthening the legal and policing capacity of APEC economies will be the focus of an APEC conference in Bangkok, Thailand, from 21-25 July.
The APEC Cybercrime Legislation and Enforcement Capacity Building Project is intended to assist economies in the region to enhance their legislative frameworks to combat cybercrime and to promote the development of law enforcement investigative capacity to effectively deal with cybercrime.
Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, Ambassador Piamsak Milintachinda, said cybercrime has clear economic and social ramifications for people in the APEC region.
"The activities of cyber criminals have direct and harmful consequences for the regional economy," Ambassador Milintachinda said.
"Cybercrime covers a wide area and includes any misuse of computer systems for illegal actions including theft, fraud or terrorist activities
"As a directive in the APEC Leaders' Statement of 2002, this project will contribute to the development of comprehensive legal frameworks on cybercrime and cybersecurity for implementation by APEC economies."
United States Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Mr. John Malcolm, welcomed APEC's commitment to enhancing cybersecurity.
"Cybercrime is not confined by borders and cyber criminals can exploit differences in laws that exist between different economies," Mr. Malcolm said.
"International law enforcement cooperation is vital to protect people and businesses from the new dangers that are apparent in the modern world.
"It is essential for the economic development and security of the region for all economies to work together to implement measures to investigate, capture and prosecute cyber criminals."
The areas to be covered at the Bangkok conference include:
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Strengthening cybercrime legal frameworks in member economies by promoting laws that criminalize attacks on computers and networks and those that allow authorities to gather electronic evidence;
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Promoting the development of dedicated cybercrime law enforcement units;
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Enhancing the ability of cybercrime units to cooperate with each other internationally;
Promoting better cooperation between cybercrime investigators and industry.
Funded by APEC and the United States, the conference is being organized by the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the United States Department of Justice and hosted by Thailand's National Electronics and Computer Technology Center, National Science and Technology Agency.
The conference will be held at the Siam City Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, and will conclude with a press conference to be scheduled for Friday, July 25.