Communications Technology

ALL Australians who own computers should immediately invest in anti-virus software, the Australian Federal Police commissioner, Tony Negus, said yesterday.

Mr Negus, who spoke yesterday at the second annual Australian High Tech Crime Conference, held in Sydney, said cyber crime had become so sophisticated innocent people could have their computers accessed without knowing.

The advance in technology had become so rapid that today 2 billion people had access to computers, the Facebook system had 8 billion hits a day, and there were more than 5 billion mobile phones.

But within that milieu, criminals were working to beat security systems and waged a constant war with law enforcement authorities.

”There is an increasing potential for ordinary people to become victims of crime,” Mr Negus said. ”But less than 50 per cent of Australians even have anti-virus software.”

Mr Negus said that the older generation had to become aware of the problems of cyber crime, an area that had not existed as they grew up.

”Many people in this room started out using manual typewriters,” he said. ”Today most new employees will never have known a world without mobile phones.”

A global taskforce had been established, which included the Australian Federal Police and representatives of the United States and Britain, to work out modes of collaboration and partnership.

Professor Michael Fraser, director of the Communications Law Centre at the University of Technology Sydney, which convened the conference alongside the federal police, said it was possible with today’s computer crime for little or no evidence to be left on an offender’s computer.

”If there is evidence, it requires vast resources to be able to have access to it.”

The Cyber Crime Act did allow law enforcement officers to analyse situations in which a criminal stored all his evidence in another jurisdiction through a commercial provider.

The criminal laws of trespass and fraud ran the risk of being ineffectual in the face of the unique features of cyber crime.

”We need a coordinated national response to cyber crime,” he said. ”Our information society, our knowledge and security depend on reliability, confidence and trust in the online system.”

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Lebanon is the latest country to voice security fears about BlackBerry phones.

Saudi Arabia was due to suspend BlackBerry services yesterday, after Canadian manufacturers failed to meet its demands to share encryption codes.

A ban in the United Arab Emirates will take effect from October 11. India and Indonesia are considering similar moves.

The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, said her country and the United Arab Emirates would hold talks on the matter soon.

There are concerns that BlackBerry’s encrypted services - which involve data being routed through Canada - could be used by militants or criminals.

The chairman of Lebanon’s telecommunications regulator said it would assess concerns after several telecommunications company employees were arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel.

”We need to make an arrangement with BlackBerry, or come to an understanding with them, that satisfies law-enforcement concerns,” Imad Hoballah said.

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WHEN we were infants our parents used to rock us off to sleep. Now a new device which can simulate the same sensation is helping insomniacs finally get some rest.

Philips Sleepwave, which was researched and developed in Australia, is attached to the mastoid bone behind the ear using a sensor cable and sends electric pulses into the vestibular system. This stimulates the balance centres in our middle ear to create a gentle swaying or rocking sensation.

Paul O’Sullivan, from Philips Home Healthcare Solutions division, says the Sleepwave is the first product of it kind in the world and offers a non-drug alternative for insomniacs that won’t have the hangover effect and addiction seen with sleeping pills.

“They’ve known for a long time that people rock their babies to sleep and people fall asleep riding in cars and trains,” he said.

“It’s that rocking motion that seems to put people to sleep.”

The Sleepwave device, which is about the size of an MP3 player, has been tested in Philips’ sleep labs in Sydney and Melbourne and was found to decrease 67 per cent of severe to moderate insomniacs down to a level of no clinical significance.

Jayne Brown, 42, from Melbourne participated in the trial after 15 years of insomnia.

“I’ve tried tablets and relaxation methods and nothing seemed to work,” she said.

“I decided to try it (Sleepwave) and found I was sleeping extremely well with it which was an adjustment for my body because I am not used to that much sleep.

“The first time I tried it was strange — I was sitting upright and looking at the floor and you’re rocking but you’re not moving. “When I lay down it was a very soothing feeling.”

Dr Anup Desai, consultant physician for sleep and respiratory disorders, says the Sleepwave is a novel way of treating insomnia.

“Insomnia is a very common problem and it’s not very well treated in the community,” he said.

Philips Sleepwave is available to the public now and can be prescribed to patients by a GP or sleep doctor like medication.

It will also find its way to pharmacy shelves in the near future.

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