Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 17, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
As providers of important infrastructure, they must ensure the integrity of their systems at all times. ‘Hacking’ providers is neither necessary nor justifiable, because the economic damage caused by a crisis of confidence triggered by an online search would be enormous for both providers and their customers.
Prof. Michael Rotert, Chairman of the German Internet industry association eco e.V., comments: “If a suspect’s provider is ‘searched’ in this way, it must fear considerable damage to its image. And rightly so. Online services are, in a sense, the nerve fibres of the information society. Security and trust in the use of these services are indispensable, not only for the economic success of our industry but also for that of our business customers. It would be reckless and irresponsible to put this at risk for the supposedly only ten online searches planned per year. I therefore appeal to the federal and state interior ministers to exclude providers’ data centres from their plans for online searches. This is not necessary either, because providers cooperate constructively with law enforcement authorities.”
In eco’s assessment, online searches will undermine computer users’ trust in the security of government portals and government software such as the ELSTER tax program, with negative effects on acceptance of e-government. Prof. Rotert: “We take a fundamentally critical view of the intention to access suspects’ computers via the Internet. Law enforcement authorities are using the same technology as criminal hackers, meaning they must exploit security vulnerabilities that common antivirus programs cannot yet detect. Online searches therefore require authorities to conceal such security vulnerabilities, also
Further Links:
- ECO
