Recommendation 1
3.86 The
committee recommends that the National Cybercrime Working Group examines and
reports on the merits of the following initiatives as part of its work
developing a new National Plan to Combat Cybercrime:
- a national statutory framework for
Delayed Notification Search Warrants for serious crime and corruption offences;
- a framework for an Indicators and
Warning system, to sit within the ACIC, aimed at identifying disruptive changes
in the global illicit supply chains that impact on Australia's market;
- an independent entity to review
current case categorisation and prioritisation models used by agencies within
the Home Affairs Portfolio; and
- a review of how existing law
enforcement strategies to tackle activities facilitated by the dark web, such
as that used to close Silk Road, can be enhanced for wider application.
Recommendation 2
4.52 The
committee recommends that the Australian government considers establishing a
task force comprising information and communications technology (ICT), legal,
law enforcement and security experts, including from academia, to:
- monitor the development, and examine
and advise on the impact of new and emerging ICTs on Australian law
enforcement;
- identify specific gaps and vulnerabilities
in the current legislative and regulatory frameworks that may be limiting the
ability of Australian law enforcement agencies to investigate, disrupt or
otherwise deal with cybercrime, including encryption services and encrypted
devices;
- consult and advise on the balance
between investigatory powers to tackle cybercrime and their impact on civil
rights and liberties;
- report to the Australian government at
regular intervals on the appropriateness of current legislative and regulatory
frameworks; and
- recommend any changes that may be
necessary to ensure that law enforcement agencies are keeping pace with and
capable of tackling new cyber challenges as they arise.
Recommendation 3
5.97 The
committee recommends that the Australian government evaluates the current
Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty process and identifies:
- how the process might be modified to
better suit the investigation of cybercrimes and the information and
communications technology challenges facing law enforcement; and
- opportunities to
implement those modifications with treaty partners.
Recommendation 4
5.101 The
committee recommends that the Australian government explores a range of
approaches for improving the information and communications technology (ICT)
skills and capabilities of the law enforcement workforce, including:
- engaging volunteer experts, similar to
the United Kingdom (UK) National Crime Agency Specials program;
- establishing 'single points of
contact' within law enforcement agencies, similar to the approach adopted in
the UK;
- implementing a single Commonwealth-led
cooperative entity, providing expert cybercrime investigative support services
to government, national security and law enforcement agencies; and
- establishing ICT cadetship programs
for the recruitment of talented university students.
Recommendation 5
5.105 The
committee recommends that the Australian government explores suggestions from
law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity experts for improving information
and communications technology (ICT) capabilities and resources, including:
- dedicated agency funding with
sufficient flexibility to enable law enforcement agencies to respond to the
escalating challenges of cybercrime; and
- improving the model of ICT procurement
and project management to promote new and emerging ICT for operational
purposes.
Recommendation 6
5.109 The
committee recommends the Australian government considers the use of hybrid
storage strategies, artificial intelligence and other advanced techniques for
sorting, filtering and analysing large volumes of data.
Recommendation 7
5.111 The
committee recommends that the Australian government takes the following into
account when developing any future strategies for biometric data and facial
recognition systems:
- the development of an appropriate
regime to detect, audit, report on, respond to and guard against events that
may breach biometric data security;
- the use of methods for assessing the
implications of any security breach and communicating the breach to both the
general public and the technical, privacy and security communities; and
- publicly releasing additional
technical information about the nature of the facial matching scheme, and the
process for ensuring that there are not false matches, in order to inform the
public about its operation and to allow informed debate about its use and
future database links.
Recommendation 8
5.114 The
committee recommends that the Australian government reviews current consumer
protection laws and regulations in relation to internet-enabled devices and
identifies changes that may be required to provide adequate and timely consumer
protection in relation to the risks they pose.
Recommendation 9
5.118 The
committee recommends that Australian governments review legal mechanisms
intended to protect victims, such as Apprehended Violence Orders, to ensure
that they offer adequate protection to victims of crime facilitated by
internet-enabled devices.
Recommendation 10
5.119 The
committee recommends that the Australian government develops education
materials to inform law enforcement agencies and personnel about new and
emerging information and communications technologies that offenders may use to
facilitate family and domestic abuse, and to provide guidance on appropriate
strategies for responding to such situations.
Recommendation 11
5.122 The
committee recommends that the Australian government develops and implements an
Internet of Things (IoT) public awareness campaign that:
- raises awareness about the potential vulnerabilities
of internet-enabled devices and the IoT; and
- provides guidance to consumers about
how to protect their privacy when using internet-enabled devices or the IoT,
and information about how to access online help.
Recommendation 12
6.50 The
committee recommends that the National Plan includes, as a key priority area,
ways to better coordinate intelligence gathering, data analytics, data
management and investigative support services across Australian jurisdictions
and agencies in order to ensure that law enforcement in Australia is able to
keep pace with the rapid pace of technological change in digital
communications.
Recommendation 13
6.53 The
committee recommends that the Australian government considers implementing the
INdata Cooperative Research Centre to address the common big data and
information data sharing needs of law enforcement agencies and explores other
opportunities for improving information and intelligence-sharing between law
enforcement agencies in all Australian jurisdictions.
Recommendation 14
6.57 The
committee recommends that the Australian government considers reviewing the Telecommunications
(Interception and Access) Act 1979 and Surveillance Devices Act 2004
and amending them as necessary to ensure that they are technology neutral and
an effective legal mechanism for meeting the telecommunications interception
needs of law enforcement agencies.
Recommendation 15
6.59 The
committee recommends that the Australian government explores opportunities for
greater engagement and partnerships with the private sector to facilitate the
exchange of information and communications technology expertise and the
development of novel approaches to tackling cybercrime.
Navigation: Previous Page | Contents | Next Page