FBI wants more money for fighting cyber crime

In the aftermath of the series of attacks on popular Internet Web sites two

months ago, which so far have produced no arrests, the US Federal Bureau of

Investigation (FBI) has asked the US Congress for more money to fight cyber

crime.

FBI director Louis J. Freeh told a Senate subcommittee panel on technology,

terrorism and government information that his agency was unable to cope with the

deluge of Internet-based crimes. "Today's electronic crimes, which occur at

the speed of light, cannot be effectively investigated with procedural devices

developed in the last millennium during the infancy of the information

technology age."

"Cyber intrusions are happening more frequently, and law enforcement and

laws need to better combat the growing problem," Freeh said, adding that in

1999 the FBI opened 1,154 computer intrusion cases, more than double the cases

opened in 1998.

Laws need to be technology neutral, Freeh said, so they can be applied

whether the crime was committed with a pen and paper or e-mail. Under current

law, for example, federal officials are unable to prosecute juveniles for

computer violations, although juveniles commit many cyber crimes.