Lords to push report on internet security

House of Lords Science and Technology Committee will not take Government's " No" for an answer

Andrea-Marie Vassou, Computeract!ve 21 Feb 2008

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has announced a follow-up inquiry to its Personal Internet Security report.

It is taking the measure after its “disappointment” with the way the Government dismissed the vast majority of its recommendations last October.

The Committee is now asking industry and internet security experts for their views on the Government's response, which it will then put into a mini-report.

Lord Sutherland, Chairman of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, said: “The Committee was disappointed with the Government’s response to its report. We felt they had failed to address some of our key concerns about people’s security on the internet.

“We have written to witnesses who gave oral evidence to the original inquiry and to those who attended an inquiry seminar.

"We will also be holding a public evidence session with Government officials before publishing our follow-up report early in the summer.”

The report, published in August 2007, called on the Government to take strong measures to protect against internet crime. It branded the web as a “playground for criminals” and made 23 recommendations it said would help instill public confidence in the internet.

They included a kite mark scheme for internet service providers and security software. It also wanted to make software manufacturers legally responsible for security flaws and establish a central e-crime police unit.

These recommendations were dismissed by the Government, which led to Committee member Lord Erroll accusing it of "putting its head in the sand".

The Committee plans to release its new report "soon after Easter."

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