Cybersecurity Law: An Emerging Field

With the news full of hackers invading corporate networks and massive breaches of consumer financial and other information, it is no surprise that cybersecurity law is coming into its own as a legal field at the juncture of law and technology. If you want to know more about the roles lawyers play in helping corporations secure data and deal with breaches and other cybersecurity issues, and more about what kind of knowledge lawyers need to do this work, start with "The Emergence of Cybersecurity Law," a new paper published by the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University Bloomington.  More reports, cybersecurity-related news, and current developments in this field are available from the American Bar Association's Cybersecurity Legal Task Force.  Finally, check out Crossroads Blog: Cyber Security Law & Policy, which supports two courses at Syracuse University College of Law and features law student, law faculty and expert authors.

Hat tip: beSpacific.com

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Cybersecurity Resources

With the FBI investigation of the Boston bombing suspects' social media presence and the passage of an amended version of H.R. 624, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) by the U.S. House of Representatives in the news this week, cybersecurity promises to be an increasingly important topic for legal research. Many of the key legal issues related to cybersecurity--from corporate liability and freedom of information to consumer privacy and civil liberties--are summarized in a new Congressional Research Service (CRS) report also published this week. Cybersecurity: Selected Legal Issues provides a brief (28-page) up-to-date nonpartisan overview of the subject, and is an excellent starting point for background and primary source citations.  Complementing this publication is another newly issued CRS report: Cybersecurity: Authoritative Reports and Resources.  This is a goldmine of information, listing legislative documents, executive orders, topical reports, and news and association websites with current, authoritative information on cybersecurity and public policy.  If you have an interest in this subject, don't overlook these newly published resources.   

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Cyber Crime Resources

Anyone interested in internet law, including computer crime, should be aware of several online resources for collecting, compiling, and utilizing information on cyber crime complaints. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the FBI the National White Collar Crime Center, has logged over two million consumer complaints of internet fraud, scams, identity theft, and other crimes on its web site since it began operations in 2000. In the past decade, it has referred over 750,000 of these complaints to law enforcement agencies around the world. The IC3 also uses the complaints to track emerging trends in cyber crime and to educate the public through its consumer education website, LooksToGoodToBeTrue.com. A good starting place for understanding the parameters and consumer impact of internet crime is the 2009 Internet Crime Report, a statistical overview of the current shape of cyber crime based on complaints received and processed last year by the IC3.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat