Cybercrime Bill Presented to Senate

Bill Proposed in Senate to Help Reduce Foreign Based Cybercrime

Mar 26, 2010
Joe Nowak

Seal of the United States Senate - Creative Commons Atttribution to Ipankonin

On March 23, 2010, a bill called the International Cybercrime Reporting and Cooperation Act was brought to the Senate.

The International Cybercrime Reporting and Cooperation Act is the bipartisan creation of Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT). Its primary focus is to combat international cybercrime. According to numbers reported by the Internet Crime Complaint Center, complaints of cybercrime have more than doubled in 2009 (146,663) over those of 2008. Financial losses due to these cybercrimes is estimated to exceed a half billion dollars.

Cybercrimes Originating Outside the United States

Many cybercrimes have their origins outside the borders of the United States. Attacks may come from almost any country. The top five countries, reported by the Internet Crime Complaint Center, originating these scams or crimes are:

Canada
England
Ghana
Malaysia
Nigeria

These are not the only countries where cybercrime originates. Eastern Europe, Russia, and China are also sources of cybercrime.

Major Components of the International Cybercrime Reporting and Cooperation Act

The bill consists of five major components.

Annual Report by the President
Provide Assistance to Prevent the Development of Cybercrime Havens
Identify Countries of Concern
Consequences of Failing to Successfully Attain Goals
State Department to Focus on International Cybercrime Policy

Annual Report by the President

The bill requires the President to report on the state of the countries of the world and what they are doing to combat cybercrime. This report to Congress would discuss the effectiveness and adequacy of each country.

Provide Assistance to Prevent the Development of Cybercrime Havens.

Assistance might be provided through technical and/or financial support.

Identify Countries of Concern

In his annual report, the President would identify those countries of greatest concern. Special attention would be given to those countries that fail to sufficiently discourage and reduce cybercrime within their borders. The President would develop a plan with guidelines and goals to help these countries combat cybercrime more effectively. This would of course be done in consultation with the country.

Consequences of Failing to Successfully Attain Goals

Countries that fail to reach their goals in the allotted time frame could find certain benefits suspended or reduced. This could include but is not limited to such things as:

OPIC (Overseas Private Investment Corporation) financing.
TDA (Trade and Development Agency) assistance.
Preferential Trade Programs

State Department to Focus on International Cybercrime Policy

The Secretary of State would appoint a senior staff member to coordinate the focus of the activities and policies designed to combat international cybercrime. This staff person would also work closely with other Federal agencies in developing additional policies for defense against cybercrimes.

Anyone using the Internet, whether it be for personal or corporate purposes needs to be aware that cybercrime is happening and increasing nearly every day. While the United States has methods for dealing with cybercrime within the country, defense against international cybercrime can only be achieved by working together with other countries to find the best possible defenses for reducing cybercrime across international borders.