- SV / NO - Child porn bust may be biggest ever +/-
(Aftenposten) Swedish police believe the child porn case uncovered by Kripos, Norway's National Bureau of Crime Investigation, can be one of the biggest in Internet history. Over 40 young girls may have been victimized. "In recent years there have been many child porn cases involving the Internet, but this has dimensions that make it unique. We believe that over 40 young girls may have been abused and photographed. There are many indications that this is the most significant case of this type in the world," said Per-Olov Forslund, head of Sweden's national police squad in charge of fighting child pornography. see also Raid hits child porn producers (Aftenposten). Police in Sweden and Norway launched a combined action on what they believe could be a pedophile network that has produced and distributed child pornography around the world. Dozens of Swedish children may have been abused. Two arrests were made as police descended in Fredrikstad, Norway and Swedish capital Stockholm. Computer hard disks were confiscated and will be examined for pornographic images.
- UA - Computer Crime Research Center +/-
(CCRC) Founded in 2001, the Computer Crime Research Center (CCRC) is an independent institute dedicated to the research of cyber-crime, cyber-terrorism and other issues in computer crime. The CCRC is a non-profit organization comprised of professionals dedicated to education in the field of cyber-crime and cyber-terrorism prevention and investigation. CCRC members include Ukrainian and international researchers. Research is carried out within the framework of the joint US-Ukrainian scientific-research program of the Computer Crime Research Center at the Humanitarian University (ZIGMU), Zaporozhye, Ukraine and the Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) at the American University, Washington, DC, USA. Website in Russian and English.
- UK - Townshend placed on sex offenders register +/-
(The Guardian) The rock star Pete Townshend was yesterday cautioned by police and placed on the sex offenders register for five years following his admission that he accessed child pornography on the internet. Townshend, 57, received the caution at Kingston police station in south-west London for "accessing a website containing child abuse images".
- US - Cybercrime's Scope: Interpreting "Access" and "Authorization" in Computer Misuse Statutes +/-
(New York University Law Review) by Orin S. Kerr, George Washington University Law School. In the last twenty-five years, the federal government and all fifty states have enacted new criminal laws that prohibit unauthorized access to computers. These new laws attempt to draw a line between criminality and free conduct in cyberspace. No one knows what it means to "access" a computer, however, nor when access becomes "unauthorized." This Article presents a comprehensive inquiry into the meaning of unauthorized access statutes. Full text.
- US hackers top ICC's annual review of cybercrime +/-
(Press Release) More than sixty percent of the world's cybercrime originates in the US, with hacking and fraud at the top of the offences, the ICC's annual Cybercrime Review has found. The review, produced by ICC's Cybercrime Unit provides detailed analysis of the major cybercrime events from January 2002 through to March 2003.
- US - Kid-Friendly Web Zone Will Be Online in September +/-
(Reuters) NeuStar plans in September to launch a "child-friendly" Internet zone free of violence, pornography and other adult material. The ".kids.us" Internet domain will be open to U.S. residents and businesses on Sept. 4, while registered trademark holders will be able to reserve their marks during a special preregistration period from June 17 to Aug. 15. Last fall Congress directed NeuStar to set up the domain after previous attempts to shield children from inappropriate material online failed to survive court challenges. Web sites within the ".kids.us" domain will be screened to ensure that they do not carry foul language, pornography, graphic violence and other material inappropriate for children 13 and younger. Nor will these sites include certain interactive features, such as chat rooms and instant messaging, or links to Web sites outside the domain.
- Escaping or Connecting?: Characteristics of Youth Who Form Close Online Relationships +/-
(Journal of Adolescence) by Janis Wolak, Kimberley J. Mitchell, and David Finkelhor, University of New Hampshire.
- JN - Bill to regulate online personals +/-
(Kyodo News) The House of Representatives passed a bill to regulate Internet personals sites with the aim of stopping child prostitution and other crimes. If enacted into law, the legislation will ban users from posting messages on sites to approach people under 18 for sex with or without an offer of money. Violators, regardless of age and sex, will be subject to a fine of up to 1 million yen.
- UK - Porn blocks urged on hi-tech mobiles +/-
(Observer) Safeguards are now being drawn up by the mobile phone industry to cover high-tech handsets which allow users to get online from their mobiles, rather than having to log on to a computer. Parents will soon be offered phones with 'blocking' devices to prevent children stumbling across explicit websites and unsuitable online 'chatrooms'. In the meantime families should think carefully about buying advanced models for teenagers, said Jack Wraith, chair of the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum.
- US - Parents Support Kids Playing Video Games - Study +/-
(Reuters) Fighting to head off tighter regulation of violent video games, the trade group that represents game publishers said new research showed most parents view their children's game playing as positive and nearly all monitor what they buy. Parents say they are with their children when games are purchased nearly 90 percent of the time, according to the survey conducted on behalf of the Interactive Digital Software Association. In addition, 60 percent of parents say they play video games with their kids at least once a month, and two-thirds of parents believe games have a positive effect on their children's lives, the IDSA said.