Most nations lack cyber crime laws - 01/2001

International cyber crimes may be impossible to prosecute, as most countries have yet to update their laws to deal with computer-related offenses.

In a report released by McConnell International, only 9 of the 52 countries covered had legislation covering most types of cyber crime, while 33 countries had no laws to deal with the problem.

Of the remaining countries, 10 had updated their laws to deal with five or fewer types of computer-related crime.

Only one country, the Philippines, had extended its laws to deal with every type of cyber crime. According to the report, the Philippines' development of cyber crime legislation was prompted by its inability to prosecute the student responsible for the Love Bug virus.

For its report, McConnell International looked at ten different types of cyber crime, including data theft, unauthorized access, virus dissemination, and computer-related fraud.

www.mcconnellinternational.com