Police: We’re losing battle against cyber criminals

The police are losing the battle against cyber criminals, according to Inge Philips, commissioner of he police's High Tech Crime Team. Officers need more capabilities to tackle these crimes, she said in the Tweede Kamer, lower house of parliament, on Thursday, AD reports. Philips pleaded to the parliamentarians for a law that allows the police to hack computers, servers, phones and other devices. Under the current law, the police cannot hack into a computer system during their investigation. That is only allowed once its been seized. The Public Prosecutor also believes its necessary to update the law "to win back ground" on the criminals. As an example, Philips told the Kamer about a suspect who was allowed to drink a glass of water in the kitchen before he was taken away. "He threw the water in the toaster. Short circuit, evidence gone. Or two pedophile neighbors who agreed that one would close the remote server if the police showed up at the other one's door. International criminals can quickly take over each other's servers." The Dutch Bar Association thinks giving the police these new capabilities is going too far. The Personal Data Authority agrees. According to the authority, hacking all devices is an "unprecedented invasion of privacy" as it does not only affect the suspect, "but also relatives, friends and business associates".