House Of Lords Calls Internet “Wild West”

A new report from the British House of Lords has described the Internet as like the “wild west.”   The reportfrom the Lords Science and Technology Committee, also called the Net “the playground of criminals” andsaid that leaving computer security to individuals was both inefficient and unrealistic, stating that the responsibility should be taken up by  “the IT industry and the software vendors,the banks and internet traders, and the internet service providers.”   Citing a government survey that showed Britons feared Internet crime more than burglary, the report claimed thatgrowing anxiety was unsurprising, and that the government needed to establish a true picture of the problem. Last year, computer identity theft in Britain cost over $800 million.   Among itsrecommendations, the report called for a central system for e-crime reporting, and an increase in resources for e-criminals. Additionally, they recommended a kite mark for ISPs to show they offered asecure service.   “You can’t legislate for better internet security. But the government can put in place incentives for the private sector to up their game. And they can invest in betterdata protection and law enforcement,” said Lord Broers, chairman of the committee that produced the report.   Additionally, the report suggested that the government should encourage banksand companies doing business online to improve data security, and have a central authority they would have to notify if a security breach occurred. Finally, it said that legal liability should beestablished where security flaws in software or hardware caused damage.