Police, Netsafe & Auck University Internet Safety

NZ Police, Netsafe And University Of Auckland Announce Ground Breaking Conference

** NetSafe II: Society, Safety & the Internet **

Child pornography on the Net, white collar Internet crime and wireless security are just some of the issues up for discussion at a ground breaking conference dedicated to keeping users of communication technologies safe.

Up to 500 delegates, many of them from overseas, will converge on Auckland between July 9--12 for 'NetSafe II: Society, Safety & the Internet' -- the largest conference of its kind ever held in the world. This is a follow up to the highly successful NetSafe Symposium held in 2002.

The conference will address the social impact and associated safety challenges of the Internet, handheld computers, mobile phones and other such communication devices. It is a joint initiative between the New Zealand Police, NetSafe (The Internet Safety Group) and the University of Auckland.

Conference Chair Liz Butterfield says that while most international conferences focus on only one area of modern communication and Internet safety, this conference will cover the entire range of associated cybersafety issues.

"The conference is already attracting huge interest from around the world because of its broad focus on safety in the business community, schools and educational institutions, as well as in the home and workplace. It will also look at the legal, ethical and cultural issues related to safe use of the Internet," says Ms Butterfield.

"Modern communication technologies facilitate global communication between users, so as users in different countries around the world connect with each other, it is of paramount importance that governments and law enforcement bodies also come together to agree about education, protocols and security measures to protect users. It is appropriate that the first such conference has been initiated by New Zealand, because our work in this field is so highly regarded internationally.

"Our children are growing up cyberliterate, with the Internet, mobile phones and handheld computers as a part of their everyday lives. By bringing together experts in these fields, we can help future generations ensure they integrate these technologies into their lives safely and responsibly."

The conference content will be covered in keynote addresses, panel discussions and workshops aimed at different levels of awareness.

The conference is open to the public and will appeal to all sections of the community, from concerned parents and teachers to business people wanting to address commercial safety issues, child protection agencies and security experts.

Ms Butterfield says there will also be a large component of free public education and on the final day (Saturday 12 July) a trade show will be open to the public and education workshops for parents and children will run throughout the day. The conference has already attracted considerable interest from overseas and Ms Butterfield says the international calibre of speakers will be a huge drawcard for both local and overseas attendees.

Full details about all speakers and the conference, including registration details, are available on www.netsafe.org.nz/conferences/conferences_default.asp

ENDS

***INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

*Ruben Rodriquez Director, Exploited Child Unit, National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, UNITED STATES Mr Rodriguez has been with the National Centre since 1990, before which he was a detective with the intelligence division of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington DC. Prior to that he was assigned to the FBI as an intelligence liaison officer working on organised crime. Mr Rodriquez has spoken internationally on issues of missing and abducted children and child sexual victimisation to audiences such as the FBI training academy, the British Senior Police College, Interpol and Europol and at several national and international law enforcement conferences.

*Dr Rachel O'Connell Director of Research, Cyberspace Research Unit, University of Central Lancashire, UNITED KINGDOM The Cyberspace Unit is currently the UK co--ordinator within SafeBorders, a European Commission funded project working towards a multinational awareness campaign for a safer Internet. Prior to working at the University of Central Lancashire Rachel managed an EU funded project entitled COPINE (Combating Paedophile Information Networks in Europe) based at University College, Cork, Ireland. The particular focus of the project was the sexual exploitation of children through the Internet. Rachel is well known internationally for her work researching online criminal activity, and investigating these activities using forensic computing and psychological approaches including criminal profiling.

*Professor William Caelli Head of the School of Software Engineering and Data Communications, Queensland University of Technology, AUSTRALIA

After more than 39 years experience in the computer and data communications industry, Professor Caelli has held a multitude of positions, including starting ERACOM, a major information technology security company with global affiliations. The company successfully developed and marketed a range of encryption products and systems aimed at the banking and finance industry, government, healthcare and related sectors, obtaining broad industry acceptance of its security modules and PC encryption products throughout Australia, Asia and Europe. Professor Caelli's research interests lie in the areas of cryptology, secure computer systems and networks and in social, political and legal implications of information security.

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