The time taken to request information from online content providers can make it harder for law enforcement agencies to catch criminals using the Internet for activities such as illegal football betting, according to Interpol.
Different service providers may require certain standards to be met before user data can be shared with law enforcement agencies, potentially making the investigation lengthier and possibly less effective, said James Pang, an assistant director at the Interpol Digital Crime Centre in Singapore.
On other occasions, each country’s different legislation may make it harder for crime busters to take down syndicates that are increasingly taking to the Internet for their cross-border illegal activities, he revealed, at an NEC innovation conference in Singapore yesterday.
Interpol is collaborating with the Japanese technology vendor for its new digital crime centre at the international police agency’s Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore.
Addressing a conference audience, Pang said that Interpol had used its global reach to successfully disrupt Internet crime of late, including the busting of an online gambling syndicate by various member agencies in Asia.
In future, he said Interpol will work more closely with online content companies, such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, to expedite information requests. This should help member countries avoid lengthy waits that could make investigations less effective, he added.
As cyber criminals become more sophisticated with IT tools, he stressed, it will very increasingly important for crime fighters to work with technology vendors to keep pace with the latest technologies.
