Falsifying Email Header Information Lands Offenders in Hot Water

New Legislation Cracks Down on Cybercrime

In a bid to combat cybercrime, lawmakers have introduced new legislation that makes it a serious offense to falsify header information in multiple electronic mail messages and initiate the transmission of such messages.

Consequences for Offenders

• Fines of up to $200,000
• Imprisonment for up to three years, or both
• Refusing to comply with requests can result in fines of up to $100,000

Data Preservation Measures

The legislation introduces measures to preserve data stored on electronic systems, including:

• Judges’ ability to issue orders requiring the preservation of data where there are reasonable grounds to believe that it may be lost or modified
• Police officers’ power to apply for an order compelling service providers to disclose certain types of data, including preserved data and information about the path through which the data was transmitted

Tracking Down Criminals

The law gives police officers the power to:

• Request that individuals or service providers submit specific data stored on electronic systems
• Submit subscriber information related to services offered by those providers
• Apply for warrants to enter and search premises where relevant data is suspected to be stored

Combating Encryption

The legislation defines “decryption information” as any information or technology that enables a person to transform or unscramble encrypted data from its unreadable format to its plain text version.

Tracking Mobile Phone Usage

Service providers are required to provide law enforcement agencies with tracking information in cases of emergency involving the mobile phone of an individual involved in such emergency.