- Forwarded message from Declan McCullagh [EMAIL PROTECTED] -
From: Declan McCullagh [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: FC: Organized crime groups going online, report says -- beware!
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2001 11:30:46 -0400
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Excerpts:
Indeed, it is possible that some jurisdictions will
increasingly seek to exploit a permissive attitude to attract
business, creating information safe havens (paralleling offshore tax
havens and bank secrecy jurisdictions) that make it difficult for law
enforcement to follow information trails, and offering insulated
cyber-business operations from which illicit businesses can operate
with a minimum of interference.
In addition, of course, organized crime groups use the Internet for
communications (usually encrypted) and for any other purposes when
they see it as useful and profitable. Indeed, organized crime is
proving as flexible and adaptable in its exploitation of
cyberopportunities as it is in any other opportunities for illegal
activity. The implications are far-reaching and require a response
from government that is strategic, multi-level, multilateral, and
transnational in nature.
The Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime,
largely supported by the United States, is the first major step in
this direction and can be understood as the beginning of the process
of setting norms and standards that national governments ultimately
will be expected to meet in their legislative, regulatory, and
enforcement efforts.
Background on Council of Europe treaty:
http://www.politechbot.com/p-02173.html
-Declan
**
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2001 10:01:41 -0400
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Organized Crime and Cybercrime: Synergies, Trends, and Responses
http://usinfo.state.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/products/washfile/latestf=01081304.gltt=/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml
Byliner: Internet Is Likely New Target of Crime, Expert Warns
(Criminal Organizations find new opportunities in cyberspace) (2850)
(The following originally appeared in the Global Issues Aug. 8
Electronic Journal Arresting Transnational Crime.)
Organized Crime and Cybercrime: Synergies, Trends, and Responses
By Phil Williams
(Professor of International Security Studies, University of Pittsburgh
and
2001-2002 Visiting Scientist at CERT/CC, a center of Internet security
expertise at Carnegie Mellon University. Williams is also the editor
of the journal Transnational Organized Crime at
http://www.pitt.edu/~rcss/toc.html)
The capabilities and opportunities provided by the Internet have
transformed many legitimate business activities, augmenting the speed,
ease, and range with which transactions can be conducted while also
lowering many of the costs. Criminals have also discovered that the
Internet can provide new opportunities and multiplier benefits for
illicit business. The dark side of the Internet involves not only
fraud and theft, pervasive pornography, and pedophile rings, but also
drug trafficking and criminal organizations that are more intent upon
exploitation than the disruption that is the focus of the hacking
community.
In the virtual world, as in the real world, most criminal activities
are initiated by individuals or small groups and can best be
understood as disorganized crime. Yet there is growing evidence that
organized crime groups are exploiting the new opportunities offered by
the Internet. Organized crime and cybercrime will never be synonymous.
Most organized crime will continue to operate in the real world rather
than the cyberworld and most cybercrime will be perpetrated by
individuals rather than criminal organizations per se. Nevertheless,
the degree of overlap between the two phenomena is likely to increase
considerably in the next few years.
Organized Crime and Cybercrime
Organized crime is primarily about the pursuit of profit and can be
understood in Clausewitzian (1) terms as a continuation of business by
criminal means. Consequently, just as brick-and-mortar companies move
their enterprises on to the Worldwide Web seeking new opportunities
for profits, criminal enterprises are doing the same thing. Criminal
organizations are not the only players in illicit markets, but they
are often the most important, not least because of the added
competitiveness that is provided by the threat of organized
violence. Moreover, criminal organizations tend to be exceptionally
good at identifying and seizing opportunities for new illegal
enterprises and activities. In this context, the Internet and the
continuing growth of electronic commerce offer enormous new prospects
for illicit profits.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the
sophistication of organized crime and drug trafficking groups.
Colombian drug trafficking organizations
