[LINK] Crime expert backs calls for 'licence to compute'

[Bernard Robertson-Dunn]

Crime expert backs calls for 'licence to compute'
By Ben Grubb
Aug 27, 2009 4:03 PM
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/154129,crime-expert-backs-calls-for-licence-to-compute.aspx

But education should take back seat to product safety.

Australia's leading criminologist thinks online scams have escalated to 
such a point that first-time users of computers should have to earn a 
licence to surf the web.

Russel Smith, principal criminologist at the Australian Institute of 
Criminology said the concept of a "computer drivers licence" should be 
taken seriously as an option for combating internet-related crime.

"There's been some discussion in Europe about the use of what's called a 
computer drivers licence -  where you have a standard set of skills 
people should learn before they start using computers," Dr Smith told 
iTnews.

"At the moment we have drivers licences for cars, and cars are very 
dangerous machines. Computers are also quite dangerous in the way that 
they can make people vulnerable to fraud.

"In the future we might want to think about whether it's necessary there 
be some sort of compulsory education of people before they start using 
computers," he said.

The Australian Computer Society launched computer driver's licences in 
1999. It aimed to give users a basic level of competency before they 
started using PCs. But the growth in cybercrime has led to IT security 
experts such as Eugene Kaspersky to call for more formalised recognition 
of a user's identity so they can travel the net safely.

Last week Dr Smith sat in front of a Federal Government Inquiry into 
cyber crime and advised Australia's senior politicians on initiatives in 
train to fight cybercrime.

He said that education was secondary to better technology solutions.

"I think at the starting point of it you need manufacturers of both 
hardware and software to devise technology that makes it difficult or 
impossible for people to be defrauded," Dr Smith said.

"And the main development in that area, I suppose, is the use of 
biometrics where you have fingerprint scanners or some biometric linked 
in with the authentication processes on computers".

Dr Smith said that the use of chip and pin credit cards had been a "very 
effective development" in Europe. "I think when that happens in 
Australia we will be much better off," he said.

The banks are "being kind"

Dr Smith also said that Australia's banks were "being kind" when they 
bore the costs of cyber crime.

"There's a code of conduct for electronic transactions and under that 
code if people suffer a loss through an electronic transaction and 
there's no evidence that they've been implicated in anyway, then the 
banks undertake to compensate that individual," he said. "Some people 
probably are partially responsible to what happens to them if they've 
done something very silly or negligent.

"What that really means is that the banks are suffering a loss and 
eventually that money will be put on the cost of running the banking 
system. Consumers probably end up paying at the end of the day."

**** end of article****

These are the current comments:

HyRax
Aug 27, 2009 4:36 PM
Considering that the existance of DRIVERS licences doesn't stop people 
committing crimes using vehicles, how exactly will a computer licence 
stop people committing online crime?

At least Mr. Smith recommends education, which is what is needed 
everywhere in any situation. This education starts in schools, however 
many victims of online fraud are the older generation of users who did 
not have computer education back in their school days.

At the end of the day, if you're going to teach anything, teach people 
about COMMON SENSE. This applies to every facet of life, not just 
computers. Teach people that if they are not sure about something, then 
DON'T DO IT. How difficult is that?


Sams
Aug 27, 2009 5:31 PM
A duo of breathtakingly stupid statements:

(1) "devise technology that makes it difficult or impossible for people 
to be defrauded"

Oh right. So some sort of mind control/constraint device for people then?

(2) "At the moment we have drivers licences for cars, and cars are very 
dangerous machines. Computers are also quite dangerous"

Haven't seen anyone run over by a computer recently. What exactly is the 
death toll caused by poor "driving" of a computer these days?

--
Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Canberra Australia
brd at iimetro.com.au