Government must do more to tackle the menace of cybercrime to business says the Chamber.
09/04/2008
More needs to be done by the government to tackle the menace of cybercrime according to the Chamber. The business support organisation was commenting in response to proposals by the Conservative party for a dedicated cybercrime unit.
'Cybercrime is a major concern for more and more businesses' says Chamber Chief Executive Richard Lacy 'Increasing numbers of our members are highlighting problems they face with complex crimes such as 'phishing', 'spam' and 'spyware'.'
Adds Mr Lacy:
'Much more needs to be done at governmental level to help businesses protect themselves from cybercrime and if a dedicated unit can offer this much needed focus on this issue, then we would support it.'
Ian Chilvers of Chamber member Prolateral Consulting, a Luton based business which specialises in helping businesses keep their IT systems secure, agrees that more needs to be done and warns that the international dimension should not be ignored.
'Cybercrime is a worldwide problem. Many computer users are still reluctant to make transactions online due to the lack of trust in online security' says Mr Chilvers 'Cybertheft is the UK's most feared crime, outranking burglary, assault and robbery according to a study of more than 1,400 regular internet users.'
'Until international governments can agree on a unilateral policy which enforces accountability onto Internet Service Providers it is up to individuals and companies to enforce their own policies of abuse of their networks. Governments need to start endorsing companies that create initiatives to lead the fight against cybercrime, until then we can only assist our clients in reducing their liability after the discovery of the event.'
