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Report calls for stepped-up EU, UK cooperation on internet crime

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Published 30 July 2013

Britain is losing the battle against cybercrime and needs a new crack crime unit to fight the growing problem in cooperation with its global partners, particularly the European Union, a panel of lawmakers said in a new report.

The Home Affairs Committee, which scrutinises the British government's domestic policy, said the "state-of-the-art espionage response team" would encourage companies, banks and institutions to report hacking attempts to uncover the full extent of online crime and halt its rise.

"We are very concerned that there appears to be a 'black hole' where low-level e-crime is committed with impunity," said the report, released Tuesday (30 July).

The committee also expressed concern that Britain was isolating itself by deciding to opt out of many EU-wide justice measures, but also criticised individual EU members for not doing enough to stop attacks.

"We are deeply concerned that EU partner countries are not doing enough to prevent cyberattacks from criminals within their countries on the UK," the report said.

The government has said it will consolidate cybercrime policing into a new unified structure as part of a shakeup of the country's policing structure, but the report said this did not go far enough.

Other government efforts to rein in internet crime include a partnership with the defence industry and telecoms companies, announced earlier this month, which aims to safeguard the country's defence supply chain against cyber attacks.

Prime Minister David Cameron last week also tightened up online pornography laws and demanded that internet firms block access to child abuse images.

The committee said these efforts did not go far enough, however, and said the government was still too complacent when it came to cybercrime, ranging from identity fraud and data theft to the spreading of illegal images and extremist material.

Last week, five men were charged in the United States in connection with the largest cybercrime case in US history. Major multi-national corporations such as Visa and French retailer Carrefour were among the victims.

"We are not winning the war on online criminal activity," said opposition MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the bipartisan committee, which heard evidence from police, industry bodies and security experts over the course of a 10-month investigation.

"You can steal more on the internet than you can by robbing a bank and online criminals in 25 countries have chosen the UK as their number one target."

EurActiv.com with Reuters

COMMENTS

  • It's not an eussr competence and should not be handed to them it's a UN area of concern, as ever the eussr is being promoted as being a body that does things it can't deliver on.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    30/07/2013
  • One more example of inability of the UKssr to handle problems of the modern world without help of the EU.
    The UKssr is simply too retrograde for the globalized world of the 21 century.

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    03/08/2013
  • Otto you should read the article before you post your tripe, we know you hate Great Britain and Northern Ireland. If you had read the article you would see that we are fighting the problem but unfortunately the same can't be said of other nations inclusive of the majority within the eussr, it is a problem that covers the entire world, and as we have seen on many occassions the eussr is incompetent when dealing with anything that doesn't involve inflicting lowest common denominator one size fits all over legislation on to the previously free nations of the eussr. The in fighting and selfish attitudes of people such as Hollande, Barrosso, et al show the eussr for what it really is, a politicians plaything.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    04/08/2013
  • I don't hate the UKssr. I don't like people who hate my country (EU)

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    04/08/2013
  • There is no such country as the eussr so you can't not like anyone who hates the corruption ridden democratically deficient political body.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    04/08/2013
  • I can say the same about UKssr

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    04/08/2013
  • No Otto you can't because the UK is a democracy run by a democratically elected government and don't even bother to come out with your normal junk about the queen ruling the nation or the house of lords because they don't, and also The UK is a sovereign nation so you can't say it isn't a nation unlike my comment on your numbskull comment about the eussr being a country.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    04/08/2013
  • Didn't you get it? One can apply any criticism of the EU to the UKssr. The UKssr have all the problems you arrogate to the EU.

    1. The Ukssr is undemocratic. Simply compare it to the USA and you'll understand why.

    2. The UKssr is corrupt. One of many examples:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash-for-questions_affair

    3. The UKssr is economically unstable. Simply choose any economical rating and make a list of 5 EU-members with the worst showings. You will always find the UKssr among them.

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    04/08/2013
  • Just been to sell used clothes, apparently they all go to the eurozone countries they ned cheap second hand clothes there because their economies have been ruined by the eussr. Otto your comparison with the USA is meaningless the UK is democratic the eussr isn't period. We convict corrupt politicians in our country the corruption riddled democratically deficient eussr welcomes them. The world is economically unstable some countries more than others, any nation in the eurozone is in a particularly bad state, especially the piigs nations, but france is getting there ang germany is getting fed up of having to bail them out, and this is thanks to political dogma by the eussr.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    04/08/2013
  • You are obsessed by the EU.

    Some people think all the problems in the world are made by Jews, some people use the EU for this purpose. Both categories are simply crackpots.

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    04/08/2013
  • Otto you might consider the Jews a problem, I never have, but I do see the stupidity of the eussr. Take the current Spanish determination to steal fish from Gibraltes waters, Gibralter is a British dependency, has been for 300 years and the Gibraltans want it to stay that way, but the spanish a member of the eussr sees fit to try to enforce their theft of the fish taken in gibraltese waters by sanctions, so much for the eussr huh.

    The europhiles who are not politicians are the crackpots.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    05/08/2013
  • You can see only the negative side of the EU. It's a clear sign of the antisemitism-like obsession. The only difference between you and anti-Semites is the scapegoat you use.

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    05/08/2013
  • anti semitism is an irrational phobia against a group of people. Anti EUism, and there's plenty of it throughout europe, is a perfectly rational questioning of a system of government and social order.
    The EU is not wholely bad, but "European nationalism" quote Otto - '(I don't like people who hate my country (EU)' - is as nasty and ill conceived as any other.

    By :
    Charles_M
    - Posted on :
    05/08/2013
  • Charles_M,

    There are only hatred and anger in the europhobe comments here, and no "rational questioning".

    I would like to see how British europhobes perform a "perfectly rational questioning of a system of government and social order" in the UK. Looks like they're unable to do it. They can see the mote in one's brother's eye but not see the beam in one's own.

    No, Charles, I'm not a nationalist.

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    05/08/2013
  • Otto your claims of antisemitism are plain dumb, one can only consider that you have a problem with a small minority of the religious people within the eussr, which is why you are trying to bring them into this discussion, given your lack of pertinent argument within this arena.

    It is clear you are not a nationalist, and you are unable to see why people would be, your position is irrational as you are dependent on your nation, not the eussr, for the basics of human necessities. The democratic governance of the UK is that the Elected government holds the power, although I accept that the foreigners from europe who post here are not able to grasp the concept. There is scope for a change in the way the house of lords is currently run, unlike in the eussr where there is no scope to alter any form of the governance and remove it from the unelected political failures who make up the commission.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    05/08/2013
  • It's not an eussr competence and should not be handed to them it's a UN area of concern, as ever the eussr is being promoted as being a body that does things it can't deliver on.
    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    30/07/2013

    Flag as abusive

    One more example of inability of the UKssr to handle problems of the modern world without help of the EU.
    The UKssr is simply too retrograde for the globalized world of the 21 century.
    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    03/08/2013

    These were the initial postings on this thread, there was only hatred and anger in your posting that anyone could be honest about your beloved eussr.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    05/08/2013
  • Ok, Barry Davies, I'll make the comparison with the US for you.

    US: the supreme power officially belong to the people (democracy)
    UK: the supreme power officially belong to the Queen (not democracy)

    US: ALL leaders and all members of all chambers of the parliament are elected, directly or indirectly (democracy)
    UK: the Queen with inherited power, members of the second chamber of the UK Parliament are not elected (not democracy)

    US: only directly elected leader can declare a war (democracy)
    UK: a person with inherited power - the Queen - can declare a war (not democracy)

    Conclusion:
    the US - democracy
    the UK - clearly not a democracy, although with some democratic elements.

    Please consider this before you'll call some country "undemocratic" next time.

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    05/08/2013
  • Otto please inform the world that there has been a coup in the UK and that the queen is now running things not Cameron, we need the eussr to send in troops to remove her from power as she is the ultimate comander of the Army and will use them against our elected parliament.

    Of course that is only how things are in your tiny europhile mind.

    Eussr all edicts come from the unelected failed politicians, not democratic.

    UK all decisions are ultimately made by the elected house of commons with additional input and expertese of the house of lords, the queen rubber stamps the acts. Democracy.

    I know you have difficulty in understanding our unwritten constitution but we all understand the power grab politics of the enforced eussr constitution, which was of course democratically rejected, and renamed a treaty to get round that fact.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    05/08/2013
  • Barry,

    ok, one more comparison:

    EU: indirectly elected "President of the Commission" as a de facto leader
    UK: indirectly elected "Prime Minister" as a de facto leader

    EU: members of the parliament are elected
    UK: some members of the parliament are elected

    EU: all leaders are elected (although indirectly)
    UK: the Queen with inherited power, members of the second chamber of the UK Parliament are not elected

    Barry, firstly, make the uk AT LEAST so democratic as the EU, and only after that speak about the luck of democracy in the EU.

    It's almost funny how people from a f#cking medieval MONARCHY trying to carp at the democratic system of a fully democratic state.

    Barry, do you have some friends from Kuwait or Saudi Arabia? Maybe they have something to say about luck of democracy in the EU too? :-)

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    05/08/2013
  • The real power of the EU lies with the European Commission, not one of them elected.

    By :
    Charles_M
    - Posted on :
    05/08/2013
  • You can't vote for your Prime Minister too, only for the party. And the Queen have the right by law to choose the Prime Minister herself.

    In the EU we have somewhat similar system, but without the Queen part

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    05/08/2013
  • Otto I know you are stupid, how many times do we have to tell you that the queen has no such power, she can not choose the prime minister how many times do you need to be told the truth before you believe it, oh I forgot you are a europhile you don't like to hear the truth.

    EU: unelected "President of the Commission" as a de facto leader
    UK: directly elected leader of party which gains power as "Prime Minister" a de facto leader

    EU: members of the parliament are elected, but have no executive power
    UK: members of the parliament are elected have executive power

    EU: no executive leaders are elected they are appointed
    UK: members of the second chamber of the UK Parliament are not elected, but hold no executive power

    I am trying to regain democracy for my nation away from the democratically deficient eussr there is no problem for any governmental system to be more democratic tha the eussr.

    It's really funny how people who support the corruption ridden democratically deficient eussr try to use the MONARCHY without any understanding of how it is a part of the system although it has had no ral executive power since Charles 1 had his head chopped off use it while attempting to show we are not democratic.

    Kuwait or Saudi Arabia should have something to say about luck of democracy in the EU too, after all the eussr tries to say other corrupt democratically deficient entities should democratise.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    05/08/2013
  • Actually Otto you missed the best comparison:-

    Iran has elected parliament, which has no real power
    Eussr has elected parliament, which has no real power

    Iran is governed by an unelected Ayatollah and Imans
    eussr is governed by the unelected Barrosso and other unelected political failures

    That is your idea of democracy.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    05/08/2013
  • Barry,

    I won't repeat the discussion about the Queen-with-not-so-limited-powers. Use the links you got from me.

    Please read about the non-representative form of the indirect democracy. It's still a democracy, and It's still better then your monarchy_with_an_illusion_of_democracy.

    In decade or two we will have a directly elected President of the European Union.

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    05/08/2013
  • Otto you are nothing but a troll spreading misinformation, and making out that you live in the "nation" of eussr, clearly you need in patient medical help, so that you will no longer post rubbish on this site.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • Otto you are nothing but a troll spreading misinformation, and making out that you live in the "nation" of eussr, clearly you need in patient medical help, so that you will no longer post rubbish on this site.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • Barry,

    you are too uncivilized for a Briton. Please go away.
    Don't bring your nation to shame.

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • Thank you Otto for a foreigner to say I am to uncivilized to be British shows how highly you rank my nation. However as someone who is claiming that the eussr is a nation, you are bring shame to your home nation which most certainly isn't the eussr.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • You can't call me "foreigner". Although almost all of my life I live in Germany, I was born in Scotland.
    Britons in general are civilized indeed, and I highly rank British nation (but I hate the political system of the UKssr).

    Unfortunately some Britons are arrogant and uncivilized europhobes and Nazis.

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • Somehow I don't believe you Otto, I think you are a German, not a Scot.

    We are more than aware that you do not like democracy, you call the corruption ridden democratically deficient eussr your nation, so you hate the german form of democracy as well as the British.

    I think you will find that the Nazi's wanted to take over mainland europe, now which body would be wanting to do that now, certainly not the British government or the people of Britain. We are not europhobes, scared of the eussr but eurosceptics, we don't believe in its power grab, or any of its more extreme federalization plans, and want to recover the right to govern our own country for the benefit of our people. I believe that there is increasing unrest in Germany about having to bail out members of the eurozone, so that it can keep the euro at a higher exchange rate.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • Try to live in a foreign state for 30 years without any contact to English speakers and you'll get the similar reaction from your compatriots after that.

    I love democracy and I can clearly see the lack of democracy in the UKssr.

    There is a lack of democracy in the EU, and I strongly support the idea of directly elected President of the European Union.
    But, in comparison with the British medieval monarchy, the EU democracy problem is trifling.

    Because of democratic nature of the EU you have the right to leave. Do so.
    But remember, after inevitable subsequent collapse of the British economy, Scotland will leave the UK and will enter into the EU.

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • Otto you are not a Scot you are a german, you clearly hate democracy, that's why you claim to be a national of one of the least democratic governmental systems in the world, it is the equivalent of Iran.

    Britain has a democratically elected executive body, try as you might that simple fact remains that a fact.

    the idea of a directly elected president of the eussr is risible, it would be just like the eurovision song contest, rigged by a few nations, but at least you have finally accepted that there is a democratic deficiency in the eussr.

    Your idea of the medieval monarchy is correct, but it is just that medieval, it is not like that now, the eussr democratic deficit is not trifling, even the eussr which is a bunch of politicians not the peoples of the previously free democratic nations accept that the overt lack of democracy is a bad thing.

    The eussr does not have a democratic nature whatsoever, the rule you refer to is part of the democratically rejected constitution which was forced into being as the lisbon treaty. It will not lead to a collapse of the British economy, it will only serve to strengthen it, that is why the vast majority of company directors in the UK favour leaving the eussr, only politicians and the easily fooled think that the eussr project is worth continuing with.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • You can think what you wish about my nationality. I don't care.

    You are clearly obsessed by the EU. A healthy person simply don't write hundreds of comments about something he don't like.

    Example:

    1. If a person like the music of Rolling Stones, it's totally normal for him to write about it a lot.

    2. If a person hate Rolling Stones, he simply don't listen this music. Healthy person don't write hundreds of comments about how bad is the music of Rolling Stones.

    3. A person with mental problems can indeed write hundreds of comments about how bad is the music of Rolling Stones.

    I'm the first type.
    _Normal_ euroskeptic is the second type.
    You are the third type.

    Think about it.

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • Nothing to think about I want out of the eussr, and the best way to do that is to find out about it so that I can show that people like you and the political class are just lying and spreading propaganda, know your enemy is one of the first things they teach you in war.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • It was the decision of your "democratically" elected Prime Minister to enter the EU, to sign the Lisbon Treaty etc etc. So, you should say it was the decision of British people, right? :-)

    How is it possible what absolutely democratic UK with its perfect political system choose to enter the EU and give away its holy independence?!!!
    Who are this coward enemies who made it happen?!!!!

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • No it wasn't the decision of the British public we were promised a referendum but the perfidious Blair who had been promised the first presidency of the eussr if he delivered lied that the lisbon treaty wasn't the constitution, prior to that we were dumped into the common market by heath without any recourse to the people, so it is on undemocratic grounds that we were in the evil empire in the first place and that the evil empire got its power grab in place, they should both be charged with treason, its a shame the Queen isn't in charge when the monarchy ruled they could have charged them. I have never said it is absoloutly democratic, there is no such thing, but it is no where near the democratic deficiency that you get in the eussr which is designed to be anti democratic.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • So, who is the main culprit of the UK membership in the EU?

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • Ted Heath

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • Ok, I'll help you with the right answer.
    It was United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum in 1975.
    British people voted for the membership (with 67% in favor).

    So, your very nation is responsible for this.

    Meet your enemy: British people.

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    06/08/2013
  • No Otto as usual you have the fact completely wrong. We did not vote in a referendum to join the common market eec eussr we were dumped into it by Ted Heath, without any say whatsoever. The referendum which you refer to was after we were in it, and was whether we should leave. the europhile government paid for the propaganda to stay in, and lied continuously about what they had signed us up to, the no vote was privately funded and told the truth, the weight of the governments propaganda and lies tipped the balance in favour of the stay in vote but it was a cose run thing, so yes the liars who were only thinking of personal gain rather than the national good are the enemy just as much as foreign europhiles such as yourself are the enemy.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    07/08/2013
  • Why you think the membership of the UK in the EU is against national interests?

    And similar question: isn't it against the national interests for Scots to remain in the UK?

    Please tell me the fundamental difference between two situations:
    1) Scots leaving the UK
    and
    2) Britons leaving the EU

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    07/08/2013
  • Scotland and England have long been working together following the act of union which came about when the Scottish king James6 became james 1 of england as well, whether the scots decide to leave the UK is a decision they will make themselves no english person will have a vote, should they vote to leave one of the big bonus' for them is that they will not be in the eussr any more, this in turn will lead to a renogiation of the rUK terms of membership because our economy will shrink massively indeed we might even become net reciepients insted of subsidizing parasite nations. Scots leave the UK they run their own country free of eussr governance Uk leaves eussr we run our own country free of eussr governance. I would be sorry to see the Scots leave, I would be very happy to leave the eussr.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    07/08/2013
  • Scotland is the most europhile region of the UK. I'm sure Scotland will join the EU after split.

    Barry, there are so many problems in the world, in Europe and in the UK: Poverty, hunger, nationalism, terrorism, wars, intolerance, murders etc etc etc.
    Why are you focus on the EU? It's surely not the biggest "evil" in the world.

    By :
    Otto
    - Posted on :
    07/08/2013
  • The SNP have told the Scottish people they will be in the eussr and adopt the euro, of course he missed out the bit where they have to go through all the highly expensive application process' and have to ensure they meet the demands of the eussr, so they will be out for a considerable number of years if they decide to be independent, and there is no reason to believe the SNP would continue to run Scotland, "the wee fat one" isn't very popular in Scotland, who knows what a different government would decide to do.

    I don't only focus on the evil empire, I only post on places like here about it, I spend my time on other aspects as well, such as the state of our health care provision, although admittedly that is linked to stupid eussr legislation in a large part.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    07/08/2013
The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Background: 

One of the largest cyberattacks in the European Union to date took place in Estonia in 2007 and led to a temporary shut down of the country’s banks, ministries, newspapers and broadcasters.

A smaller scale attack in 2011 saw more than 150 of the French finance ministry's 170,000 computers hacked for documents relating to a G20 meeting.

In March 2011 cyberattackers penetrated the European Commission’s external action service e-mails. In July 2012, an attack on the European Council targeted officials around President Herman Van Rompuy.

To respond to such attacks, the EU opened a Europol cybercrime centre in 2013.

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