COMPUTERWORLD (PHILIPPINES) via NewsEdge Corporation : ** NOTE: TRUNCATED STORY **

Representatives from the US Department of Justice told local journalists in a press briefing that delaying the enactment of legislation against cybercrimes will likely lead to more crimes. If you delay (enacting a law against cybercrimes), it will only embolden those who commit these electronic crimes, said Richard Downing, senior legal counsel of the US DOJs Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.

Downing and Joel Michael Schwarz, a trial attorney of the US DOJ, conducted a workshop on the US cybercrime law for the Information Technology and E-Commerce Council (ITECC) in Tagaytay early this month. The workshop was intended to help local legislators and policy-makers improve the current draft of the cybercrime prevention bill that is still pending in Congress.

The proposed law has already been approved at the House of Representatives but still has to be taken up in the Senate. Senator Francis Pangilinan, the newly designated majority floor leader, is reportedly leading efforts to have the bill approved in the Senate. However, as Congress is set to adjourn next month to pave the way for the holding of national elections in May, chances of the bill being passed any time soon is very slim.

Claro Parlade, who heads the ITECCs legal cluster, said it would also take more time to integrate the recommendations of the US experts in the draft law. Incorporating the lessons that weve learned from other countries so that the law can be made more effective will take some time , he said.

RP IMAGE Downing said enacting a law against cybercrimes will not only serve as a deterrent to electronic crimes, it would likewise improve the countrys image and serve to attract foreign investors. Countries that can protect intellectual property and punish cybercrimes will attract new capital as opposed to countries where they dont have the laws in place, he said.

The workshop that the US DOJ representatives conducted was part of a larger program initiated by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to promote the development of cybercrime legislation across the region.

APEC member-countries in 2002 agreed to each put in place a comprehensive legal framework for combatting crybercrimes. A program that would support this goal is being implemented in two phases. The first phase involved a regional conference in July last year where various countries shared their experiences to help Asian governments develop their own cybercrime legislation. The second phase involves one-on-one meetings with the US and Canada, where cybercrime laws have been consistently amended to fight existing and emerging forms of computer crimes.

<<COMPUTERWORLD (PHILIPPINES) -- 01/19/04>>

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