Curbing online crime 'requires global coordination'

Category: Security

March 4th 08, 11:30

Efforts to stop crime on the internet require international collaboration, according to one industry figure.

Ruth Orchard, director general of The Anti-Counterfeiting Group, asserts that the majority of sales of fake goods now take place on the internet.

The drive to stop such crimes must adapt to new technology, address security weaknesses and adopt a multinational approach appropriate to the nature of the threat, according to Ms Orchard.

"Stopping this thing requires global coordination. Where are these websites? Who are these people? They are now able to enjoy such anonymity and also distance from the client," she comments.

According to the expert, as much as 90 per cent of goods sold on eBay are fake - the market for such items damages legitimate companies in "all kinds of ways", she explains, citing brand impact and organised crime as two negative effects of counterfeit sales.

The BBC's Money Programme carried out a survey which found that 19 per cent of Britons had either knowingly bought counterfeit goods or suspected they had done so.

This news story was brought to you by Bluhalo, a leading UK digital agency.

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