My government will make the UK the best place to do e-business by
leaving most activity to the marketplace while offering strategic
encouragement - for example, to support standards on security and
secure e-commerce and public key infrastructures (PKIs) at a
national and international level
Establish a clear role for the e-envoy
The remit of the
e-envoy has already changed several times since the job was first
mooted. The office will return to providing linkage, oversight and
perspective to the many strands of e-policy across government. It
should seek to assist the resolution of policy conflicts such as
IR35 and the privacy and cost aspects of the Regulation of
Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA). It will be encouraged to issue
critical reports and will cease its implementation role
Develop an effective policy on cybercrime
My government
will always listen carefully to lobbying from law enforcement for
more powers but will never award these without carefully examining
the research on the supposed problems and establishing rigorous
audit and scrutiny of the use of intrusive powers. We will
encourage potential victims to look after themselves by taking
adequate protective precautions. All detectives, not just
specialists, will be trained in anti-cybercrime methods. We will
damp down populist hysteria about the dangers of the
Internet.
Make government computing efficient
One of the gravest threats to our national infrastructure is the
poor quality of procurement and management of government computer
services. The UK has sold off its means of collecting tax and
distributing welfare, the very lifeblood and justification for
"government". The only basis for this has been a theory about
public expenditure espoused by the Treasury. Poor computer systems,
for example, are at the heart of the "asylum" row. My government
will take back computing into public control, but with a
competitive career structure to attract high-quality staff
Eliminate the digital divide
The bottom 25% of the population lack access to bank accounts, are
without their own telephones and can't afford computers. The width
of the digital divide is increasing and we can't expect private
companies to assume nearly all the burden of the remedies. This is
a political imperative like that of universal education. If we have
to, and with reluctance, we will increase tax to find the necessary
public money.
Make the communications watchdog use its teeth
Oftel has performed poorly in regulating British Telecom as that
company has sought to hold on to its monopoly status. We will
expect much more from Oftel as it becomes Ofcom, especially in the
area of developing broadband and unbundling services.
Simple certification of computer security specialists
My government will limit this to providing a police check to show
absence of a criminal record.
Peter Sommer is senior research fellow at the Computer
Security Research Centre at the London School of Economics. In the
last parliament he was specialist adviser to the Commons Trade
& Industry Select Committee. He has acted as an expert witness
in a number of spectacular cybercrime trials. Sommer does not
expect any late pressure to invite him to stand for parliament.