Security and legal experts across the world are calling on governments to introduce legislation to cope with the harsh realities of the Digital Age. High-profile viruses and new threats such as denial of service attacks are on the increase. Yet the low level of legal convictions shows the need for a change of thinking. Legislation needs to be adapted so that committing crime by electronic means is punished in a way consistent with its physical equivalent. Indeed, industry, especially small businesses, and users must be educated on the need to take e-crime seriously.
“We’re talking large sums of money” remarked Ibtisam Al Faruji, Marketing Assistant at PEIE and co-ordinator of Knowledge Oasis Muscat’s monthly Open House program. “David L Smith, the author of the Melissa virus was sentenced to 20 months in a US federal prison. Smith’s damaging computer program caused over US$80m of losses to businesses worldwide, this is a major issue and one that needs addressing.”
Security experts suggest that one of the major reasons for so few convictions is that companies fail to report crime for fear of admitting that their IT security is lacking. But even if compnies do report an attack, there are still problems. Legal systems are lacking in awareness when it comes to computer crime.
In response to these developments Knowledge Oasis Muscat will host an e-Legislation seminar, scheduled to be held 11:00am, Tuesday 1 November. The presentation will be delivered by Trowers & Hamlins’ Charles Schofield, a leading international e-Legislation solicitor.
Commenting on Schofield’s presentation, Al Faruji said: “many countries have already developed e-Legislation frameworks while others are still in the process. Indeed, a comprehensive, flexible and ‘future proof’ legal framework is one of the key elements of the enabling environment for a country's e-Development policy agenda. The 1 November seminar will examine current best practices, new legal and policy initiatives affecting e-development and present case studies describing what works and what doesn't work, with a particular focus on e-Commerce.”
