Traders give public net confidence

The Get Safe Online campaign has the support of government, banks and vendors

UK public- and private-sector bodies will launch a campaign in October to restore consumer confidence in the internet. This follows a call by a leading security expert last week for greater regulation of ISPs.

The Get Safe Online campaign has the support of government, banks HSBC and Lloyds TSB, consumer web sites eBay and Yell, and technology firms including Microsoft. It will offer independent guidance on risks and best practices for consumers and small businesses, with a web portal due to go live the week starting 24th October.

“[The current climate] clearly doesn’t benefit the public sector or private industry,” said Stephen Marsh, director of the government’s Central Sponsor for Information Assurance. “It is important that people are encouraged to do transactions on the internet.”

On his web site, Internet Watch Foundation chairman Roger Darlington wrote, “I welcome this initiative ... but what the consumer needs is a one-stop shop.” Experts are divided over how far government should intervene on IT security, however.

At the RSA Conference in October, security expert Bruce Schneier said it is now time to regulate ISPs to make them enforce greater gateway security. “I really think that we are losing ground,” he added. However, Marsh said that such a move “would put 80 percent of UK ISPs out of business”.

Separately, the UK Crown Prosecution Service has said it plans to establish a 110-strong network of lawyers to prosecute hackers and identity fraudsters.