Australia toughens up laws on "computer crime"

[Q G Campbell]

Following my recent posting on new, tougher, State laws in NSW to combat
"computer crime" it seems that the Federal Government is also moving in
that direction and will be imposing 10 year goal sentences as well.

The nearest example of recent UK legislation that I can think of are the
computer crime provisions within the Terrorism Act 2000.

As ever ignore if you are not interested in legislative matters in other
countries.


CANBERRA, Australia - (SECURITYSEARCH.NET) - In a bill soon to go before
Parliament, the Australian government plans to expand existing computer
crime laws and criminalise activities like spreading viruses,
cyber-stalking and electronic fraud. It will also increase the penalties
for computer hacking.=20

Based on the Model Criminal Code=20
(http://law.gov.au/publications/Model_Criminal_Code/index.htm) which has
been in circulation over the last two years, the new laws will create
new offences such as the "unauthorised impairment of electronic
communication," which targets, but is not limited to, denial-of-service
attacks. Offenders could be jailed for up to ten years.=20

Other offences will cover the possession and distribution of malicious
technology (such as viruses and trojans), to which a three-year penalty
applies.=20

In addition, Australian law enforcement authorities will have greater
powers to access people's computers when investigating a computer
crimes.=20

These new Commonwealth computer crime laws come on the heels of
similarly tough computer crime laws to be introduced in New South Wales.
(See NSW introduces tough new computer crime laws.)


  =20
Quentin
--
PHONE: +44 191 222 8209    Computing Service, University of Newcastle
FAX:   +44 191 222 8765    Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, NE1 7RU.
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"Any opinions expressed above are mine. The University can get its own."
    =20