The second International Forum on Cybercrime (FIC) took place in Lille on 20 March 2008 with the support of the European Union. More than 800 participants from 17 countries demonstrated their interest at this venue for digital information and communication technologies. This event gave an example of what could become the structuring of an international partnership between public and private concerns involved with the security of all users of digital networks. At a time when security worries are a major preoccupation and when digital technology is becoming widespread, the Quebec concept of community policing seems particularly suited to one of the major international security issues of the twenty-first century—cybercrime. In addition, a joint effort to master and secure cyberspace will without doubt contribute towards the establishment of a favourable climate for the creation and continued wellbeing of new businesses vital to the economic development of our country and of the European Union.

Twenty-First Century Crime

Lacking a commonly agreed definition, that given to the term ‘cybercrime’ in the European Commission’s Communication 267 of 22 May 2007 ‘Towards a general policy in the fight against cybercrime’ was used in preparation for the second FIC. Within the text of the Publication, ‘cybercrime’ is taken to mean ‘criminal offences committed by using electronic communication networks and information systems or against such networks and systems’. This term encompasses three categories of criminal activity. The first concerns conventional crime such as fraud or forging. The second concerns offences linked to illegal practices by electronic means (sexual violence against minors, incitement to racial hatred, etc.). The last concerns offences against electronic networks themselves (attacks aimed at information systems, denials of usage, pirating, etc.).

Thus cybercrime constitutes one of the new forms of transnational criminal and delinquent activity whose consequences can be particularly serious for the general public (PCs hosting illegal websites, pirating of personal and financial data, etc.), collective security (terrorism, etc.), but also for the economic sector (pirating computer programmes, generating credit card numbers, ‘shopfront’ websites in counterfeiting operations, etc.) in every country in the world. There are four major threats particularly relevant to businesses: the theft of data media and data itself, intrusion into networks, interception of communications or the flow of data and the manipulation of employees and associates. The latter threat is better known as social engineering.