The Internet, while still a powerful force for good, has increasingly become the playground for criminals. Today’s e-criminals are highly skilled, organised, and motivated by financial gain. Individual Internet users are increasingly victimised – yet instead of acting to protect individuals, or providing incentives for the private sector to act, Government continues to insist that individuals are ultimately responsible for their own security. The Committee describe this approach as “inefficient and unrealistic”.

The Committee recommends a range of measures that would:

• Increase the resources and skills available to the police and criminal justice system to catch and prosecute e-criminals

• Establish a centralised and automated system, administered by law enforcement, for the reporting of e-crime.

• Provide incentives to banks and other companies trading online to improve the data security by establishing a data security breach notification law.

• Improve standards of new software and hardware by taking the first steps towards the establishment of legal liability for damage resulting from security flaws.

• Encourage Internet service providers to improve the security offered to customers by establishing a “kite mark” for Internet services.

The Committee also recommend that the Government should review, as a matter of urgency, their decision to require online frauds to be reported to the banks rather than police in the first instance. Victims of e-crime should have acknowledgment from law enforcement bodies that a serious crime has taken place.