Leader: Time to rethink cyber crime priorities

We're often warned of the menace of cyber crime to UK business - and hear plenty of ideas for what needs to be done to fight back.

Just this month a House of Lords committee urged the government to do more to tackle e-crime - or risk losing public confidence in the security of the internet. And last month, user group The Corporate IT Forum talked of the need for a single reporting body for e-crime, warning that without such a dedicated unit the situation will only deteriorate.

Part of the problem is that the UK's only standalone e-crime reporting body was shut down and incorporated into the Serious and Organised Crime Agency last year.

silicon.com's Full Disclosure campaign - what we are asking for...

silicon.com wants the government to review its data protection legislation and improve the reporting of information security breaches in the public and private sectors.

We are calling for greater public debate and for the government to consider legislation that would require organisations that suffer information security breaches to alert their customers if there is a chance the breach has put individuals' sensitive personal data at risk.

We want to hear your views about this campaign and the issues it raises. Make your voice heard by leaving a Reader Comment below, emailing us at editorial@silicon.com or signing the 10 Downing Street e-petition.

And of course, silicon.com's Full Disclosure campaign has been trying to make businesses and government take data security more seriously, and to improve the reporting of cyber crime in the UK.

Yet, with all this noise around high tech crime, what is the most high profile cyber-related UK police story of the week? It's the arrest of a man sitting on a wall with his laptop, suspected of using someone else's wireless internet connection without permission.

It seems to be a question of priorities. Money needs to be spent tackling serious organised gangs of cyber criminals which are still out there costing UK plc serious money.

It's up to businesses and other interested parties to keep up the pressure on government and the police to take cyber crime seriously, even if it is resource-intensive to investigate.

Just because it's hard to do, it shouldn't be ignored in favour of easier to solve cases.