Reno: Band together against cybercrime

Attorney General Janet Reno said Monday that she will direct U.S. attorneys

throughout the country to establish contacts with industry in their communities

to help law enforcement combat cybercrime.

Reno announced her plan at a "cybercrime summit" hosted by Electronic

Data Systems Corp. in Herndon, Va., and the Information Technology Association

of America.

Reno said cybercrime has to be fought through the cooperation of law

enforcement and industry, nationally and internationally.

"We need industry to work with us to let people know there are no rogue

nations permitting cyberattacks around the world," Reno said. "We need to

make sure the Internet is not used by people to harm people."

Monday's summit was a follow-up to one held at Stanford University in

April. The aim of the summits is to boost government/industry cooperation.

Reno told the group of information technology executives that she will

look to them for ideas on improving collaboration but said she is not out

to invade privacy or interfere with commerce.

"I'm not interested in searching people's computers, unless we do it

the right way," she said. Reno said businesses that report cybercrimes should

not be afraid of having agents haul away their computers in search of evidence.

"But if you're not interested in working together, there is something

else [at stake] — this nation and all we hold dear," she said. "We are dependent

on cybertechnology, but we've not kept up on cybersecurity."

Defense, finance and industry are all increasingly dependent on the

Internet, she said.

"Don't let it get to the point of cyberterrorism before we work together,"

Reno said.