NBI struggles to monitor Internet for potentially dangerous content
Kauhajoki killer’s computer examined by police
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The Internet monitoring unit of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is not capable of engaging in sufficient surveillance of the Internet on its own. Most of the time of the NBI’s Internet police is taken up by checking on tipoffs from the public.
The shootings in Kauhajoki sharply increased the number of reports coming in from the public on material depicting weapons, for instance. The Ministry of the Interior announced on Wednesday that it would upgrade its monitoring of online content in the upcoming weeks.
Normally two officers of the NBI concentrate on the monitoring of the Internet. One of them, Jukka Mäkynen, who monitors online content full time, does not know how much more manpower the increase will bring.
The ministry has not promised any more money or personnel; the resources needed for upgraded monitoring of the Internet will be detached from other parts of the NBI.
Mäkynen laments that the move will take personnel away from other important tasks. Officers monitoring the Internet report on suspicious phenomena either to other sections of the NBI, or to local police, as required.
It will be up to those receiving the information to determine what to do with it. Mäkynen cannot say if reports that have come in have led to any interrogations or house searches.
Police investigating the possible online contacts that the shooter in Tuesday’s Kauhajoki massacre may have had with like-minded people, says Jari Neulaniemi, the head of the police investigation.
“Certain people are following that line of inquiry, but it is not directly a part of this murder investigation”, he says.
The Finnish Security Police (SUPO) also keep an eye on the Internet, with a focus on extremist movements and politically motivated activities that might be seen as criminal.
SUPO chief Ilkka Salmi says that the Security Police inform the NBI about phenomena that might endanger general security. If the activities are sufficiently organised, and if there are suggestions of a political motivation, such activities will be of interest of SUPO as well.
On Thursday, Salmi noted that the Kauhajoki killings do not constitute actual terrorism, as they lack a political motive.
In addition to the NBI, local police can engage in online surveillance as well. Police in Helsinki recently were engaged in surveillance of the Internet in the investigation of crimes linked with child molestation.
National Police Commissioner Mikko Paatero notes that the police have a reasonably large number of investigators concentrating on computer crime.
“The question is, how much resources can be can be shifted over to online surveillance.”
Paatero suggests that a separate unit should be set up within the police force for the investigation of Internet crime.
Experts say that centralised monitoring of the Internet is virtually impossible.
Internet researcher Kari A. Hintikka feels that collective intelligence cold be utilised in monitoring the web.
“A typical example is a system in which people can report on inappropriate messages. Someone should simply go through these notices carefully”, he says.
Already now, in many services, users monitor each other's postings and report suspicious content to the webmaster.
Mikko Salasuo of the Youth Research Network says that peer monitoring by present users of the Internet is the best way forward, and that the police could give expert advice on the matter.
“The police could help those operating on the Internet to recognise criminal behaviour. The police would then get information on services about these kinds of profiles”, Salasuo says.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 26.9.2008 - TODAY |
 NBI struggles to monitor Internet for potentially dangerous content |
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