Sixty nations in cyber security talks 01.11.11

Representatives of 60 nations have gathered in London in an attempt to secure the benefits of the internet amid concern about rising levels of cyber attacks and online crime. Foreign Secretary William Hague has called for a "collective endeavour" to ensure the "enormous potential" of cyberspace for developing a safer, more prosperous world is fully realised. Britain wants to develop a set of international "rules of the road", establishing "norms of acceptable behaviour" in cyberspace, while stopping short of a full treaty advocated by some countries. It comes a day after the head of Britain's secret electronic "listening" agency, GCHQ, revealed a "significant" attempt was made to penetrate the computer systems of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other Government departments over the summer. Mr Hague says that developing a common approach to dealing with such issues was in the interests of all the countries concerned. "How to ensure we can all reap the benefits of a safe and secure cyberspace for generations to come is one of the greatest challenges we face," he said. "The response does not lie in the hands of any one government or country but it is too important to be left to chance. This needs to be a collective endeavour, involving all those who have a stake in cyberspace."

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• British
• Forces
• News
• Cyber
• Attacks
• Online
• Crime
• Foreign
• Secretary
• William
• Hague
• Cyberspace