§ The Earl of Northeskasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether existing regulations of United Kingdom-based units of large global internet service providers may be contributing to the perpetuation of cyber crime and hampering effective co-operation with law enforcement agencies. [HL1025]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalI understand that this issue arose during presentations given at the Computer and Internet Crime Conference in London in January, and these comments were subsequently reported in the media.
The time taken to recover material of evidential value from the UK based units of multinational internet service providers does vary on a case-by-case basis. While there is a positive attitude towards investigative co-operation from all companies with bases in the UK, where information is required from companies with headquarters outside the UK, as with any request for mutual legal assistance the provision of information may take longer than a domestic request.