Government and ISPs working together to improve customers' data security

In response to a report into e-crime (19-page / 286KB PDF) by Parliament's Home Affairs Committee, the Home Office said that it recognised that a lack of consumer awareness about cyber crime was helping criminals to prosper online and steal customer information. The Home Office said, though, that it was taking steps to address the issue. 

"In September 2012, the Government launched 'Ten Steps to Cyber Security', a document focused at FTSE 100 companies, which details how to adopt simple measures to enhance cyber security," the Home Office said in its response paper. "In April 2013, the Government published a version for small businesses: 'Small businesses: What you need to know about cyber security'. The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) has also expanded its capacity to deliver targeted cyber security advice to senior audiences in companies that may be at risk from cyber attack."

"Businesses need to work to protect their customers. Government is therefore working with various sectors to consider how they can support this. This includes current work with Internet Service Providers to set out their agreed security offering to their customers," it added.

Out-Law.com asked the Home Office to explain in more detail what it meant by ISPs' 'agreed security offering' but did not receive a response. 

In its paper the Home Office said that it would shortly launch a "new national campaign" on online safety in partnership with the private sector. It is hoped the scheme will "increase cyber confidence and measurably improve the online safety behaviours of consumers and SMEs", it said. In addition, the Government is to launch a tool to advise users of either the .gov.uk or HMRC websites if their browsers are out-of-date and how this might compromise their online security, it said. 

In its report the Home Affairs Committee had called for online services to be "secure by design" and said internet users "should not be asked to submit personal details that are known to be helpful to fraudsters". The Home Office said that it encourages companies to "consider the vulnerability of their products to criminal exploitation before being released to the public". 

The Home Affairs Committee had also raised concern with the "inadequate" crime recording practices which it said results in there being "an accurate picture of the extent to which reported crime is committed over the internet". In response the Home Office said that it had developed a 'cyber flag' which police forces could voluntarily attach to recorded crimes that take place online. It said it may require police forces to use the label for 2014/15 crime figures, subject to consultation. 

A new "external working group" will also be set up to improve the accuracy of the estimates given to the cost of cyber crime, the Home Office said. It said it was "reasonable to suggest" that cyber crime costs the UK economy several billions of pounds a year. 

The Home Office also said that it intends to bring forward proposals, perhaps through new laws, "to tackle the problem of matching internet protocol addresses so that cyberspace cannot become a haven for criminality". It said that the proposals "will not allow the indiscriminate monitoring of the internet activity of members of the public" and that the measures would be "proportionate with robust safeguards in place". 

The department also said it was keen for law enforcement bodies based across the world to work closer together to combat online fraud and other e-crimes.