Senate ratifies COE Cybercrime Treaty

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Richard Forno <rforno () infowarrior org>
Date: August 4, 2006 12:17:24 PM EDT
To: Blaster <rforno () infowarrior org>
Cc: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>, Bruce Schneier  
<schneier () counterpane com>
Subject: Senate ratifies COE Cybercrime Treaty

 Senate ratifies cybercrime treaty

1 hour, 6 minutes ago

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060804/ap_on_go_co/ 
congress_cybercrime&printer=
1;_ylt=Ao5RW1Z4B8nvjqfRR_JcfOaMwfIE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

The Senate has ratified a treaty under which the United States will join
more than 40 other countries, mainly from Europe, in fighting crimes
committed via the Internet.

The Council of Europe's Convention on Cybercrime, ratified late  
Thursday, is
the first international treaty seeking to address Internet crimes by
harmonizing national laws, improving investigative techniques and  
increasing
cooperation among nations.

The convention had been signed by 38 European nations plus the United
States, Canada, Japan and South Africa, as of the end of 2005. It was  
opened
for signature in 2001.

"While balancing civil liberty and privacy concerns, this treaty  
encourages
the sharing of critical electronic evidence among foreign countries  
so that
law enforcement can more effectively investigate and combat these  
crimes,"
said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.

The convention targets hackers, those spreading destructive computer
viruses, those using the Internet for the sexual exploitation of  
children or
the distribution of racist material and terrorists attempting to attack
infrastructure facilities or financial institutions.

"This treaty provides important tools in the battles against terrorism,
attacks on computer networks, and the sexual exploitation of children  
over
the Internet, by strengthening U.S. cooperation with foreign  
countries in
obtaining electronic evidence," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales  
said. "The
Convention is in full accord with all U.S. constitutional  
protections, such
as free speech and other civil liberties, and will require no change  
to U.S.
laws."

Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The  
information
contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast,  
rewritten
or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated
Press.
Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.




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