China's police are struggling to clamp down on Internet crime
that is growing more rampant in the face of vague and inadequate
laws, senior police officials say.
"The most common Internet crimes involve theft, racketeering,
resources and services fraud, mass disruption and inconvenience to
the public," said Xu Jianzhuo, deputy director of the Internet
security bureau under the Public Security Ministry.
The number of Chinese with access to the Internet exceeds 100
million. Xu said last year police investigated more than 20,000
complaints of online theft, but very few resulted in
prosecutions.
However, Xu said actual cases of Internet theft in relation to
online banking and gaming alone could be in the millions.
"Only a handful of people have been convicted in recent years,"
said Xu, attributing the low prosecution rate to inadequate
legislation.
Chinese law only forbids hacking into the classified information
networks of state affairs, national defense, and high-end
technology development, and stipulates a maximum penalty of three
years' imprisonment.
It also forbids the sabotage of computer systems by deleting,
changing or adding data, an offence that carries a maximum penalty
of five years in jail.
From 1997 to 2005, police investigated 11,521 alleged Internet
crimes, but only 14 resulted in convictions for sabotage, said Li
Jingjing, security solutions bureau of the Ministry of Public
Security.
"The legislation is so vague that it is difficult to apply in
court," Li said, citing its failure to specifically criminalize
hacking or sabotage in areas such as healthcare, finance, and
energy.
"Soft penalties only encourage more Internet hackers," Li said,
adding that many online crimes are not reported to police.
The government recently launched a series of campaigns against
Internet pornography and online gambling. Xu said great progress
has been made in these areas, but the police can do little against
Internet theft and fraud.
"Hacker activities are rampant," Xu said, noting that the
advanced technology used by hackers increases the challenge for the
police.
Police figures show 80 percent of computer systems were affected
by one of the 72,836 new viruses in 2005. About 9,100 websites
reported attacks by hackers, including 2,027 government
websites.
Xu said the majority of hackers were operating for their own
profit, rather than just showing off as their predecessors did.
"They focused on stealing information and attacking business
rivals."
He said the police are trying to prosecute them, but they lack
the technology to locate victims and collect evidence.
(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2006)