The Coordinator of the Information Security Committee, of Brazil’s Ministry of Justice, Jorilson Rodrigues, said that the Internet contributes not only for the design of new crimes, but also for expanding the reach of traditional ones.
On Tuesday, February 21, a task force with police officers from 30 countries, including Brazil, began an operation for combating the dissemination of child pornography through the Web, a crime that has grown because of the Internet.
Investigations by the Spanish police revealed the existence of a network that exchanged these images among several countries. Alerted by Spain, Brazilian Federal Police (PF) found out the identity of involved computers and requested user information from Internet access providers. With search warrants, the PF seized computer equipments of more than 30 people, in 11 states.
Rodrigues explains that new investigation techniques have become necessary to specifically deal with cyber crimes, i.e., crimes practiced through the Internet.
In the specific case of child pornography, however, the crime is already included in the Statute of Children and Adolescents.
Although, Rodrigues warns, not all cyber crimes are punished, because Brazil still does not have specific legislation about the subject. It is, for example, the case of damages caused by virus sent over the web.
He added, however, that today the country has a set of laws that allows government authorities to fight back. In addition, Brazil has also signed international agreements on the subject, and there are several law projects about cyber crimes going through official means in the Congress.
Agência Brasil
