PR & Media Centre

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10/08/2007

Intellect responds to House of Lords Science and Technology Committee Report on Internet Security

The report from the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee on internet security raises many important issues.

Intellect supports its call for greater collaboration and agreement across government and industry and hopes to see the development of a centralised unit to examine and establish methods of handling reported e-crime. Intellect is already working with stakeholders to investigate to implications of a security breach notification law and what role it could play, because it will not be sufficient by itself.

Intellect believes that a solid security principle needs to be at the heart of all products, but the committee’s recommendation to place sole liability for security breaches on technology companies is unworkable. It also could lead to issues for smaller software companies and will discourage companies to innovate in fear of legal action. This could lead to the UK losing competitive advantage and a reduction in the number of British companies working in this growing market. Intellect and its members agree there needs to be standards that vendors look to work towards but these need to be globally recognised rather than from country to country. We don't buy a car and then expect the manufacturer to pay up when it gets broken into.
However, the issue is not just around data security passed over the internet but also how data is stored, transferred and disposed of. Companies who hold data on customers must make sure their data processes are secure and that all handling and disposing is done securely and efficiently. As this is an issue of customer trust and confidence, security incidences, however few there are, only add to the increasing fear of individuals and their identity. Unless staff are educated appropriately these situations will continue even if companies are fined heavily or sanctions imposed.

Intellect agrees that there are standards of software that need to be met but to expect vendors of software or hardware to hold sole responsibility of securing this information is unrealistic and some responsibility must be taken by the individual to protect their businesses or their private information.

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