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UEL’s VoICE project short-listed for internet security award

Monday 15 October 2007

A new Europe-wide weapon in the war against cyber-crime created and developed by Dr Hamid Jahankhani and colleagues at the University of East London (UEL) was among the finalists shortlisted for awards in the Nominet Best Practice Challenge, held at Westminster Central Hall on Thursday 11 October.

Victims of Internet Crime Europe (VoICE) is being developed as the first ever internet portal to offer a central conduit for the reporting and analysis of cyber-crime across the EU. Via the site, cyber-crime victims will be able to warn and advise others, while providing reliable and valuable data and allowing security experts to scrutinise criminal tactics.

The project is being developed by Dr Hamid Jahankhani, Principal Lecturer in Information Security at UEL’s School of Computing and Technology, in collaboration with leading international security consultant David Lilburn Watson, and with specialist contributions from UEL colleagues Dr David Preston, Elias Pimenidis, Dr Haris Mouratidis, and Associate Head of School Professor Dominic Palmer-Brown.

Along with other Best Practice Challenge finalists, VoICE will now be showcased at this year’s Internet Governance Forum, to be held in Rio de Janeiro in November.

Dr Jahankhani said: “Cyber-crime is the world's biggest growth industry, costing an estimated $220 billion loss to companies and individuals each year. Yet gathering accurate information on the subject is inherently tough; victims often fail to report cyber-crime because they don’t know how or where to complain.

“Working with academic, industry, law enforcement and government partners across Europe, we aim to create a single repository for Internet crime data for all countries across the EU. Victims will be able to provide information anonymously, allowing experts to conduct far more accurate analysis, capable of raising awareness and greatly assisting law enforcement.”

VoICE was launched earlier this year at the 3rd annual International Conference on Global e-Security, held at the UEL Docklands campus in April. Dr Jahankhani and his students on a unique MSc in Information Security and Computer Forensics degree met Her Majesty The Queen in February when she visited UEL to open the new Business School and Knowledge Dock Centre.

Unveiling the winners of the Best Practice Challenge, Stephen Timms, Minister for Competitiveness at the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, said: “Judging by the quantity and quality of the entries received for this year's Best Practice Challenge Awards, the UK has much experience to share and promote when it comes to internet governance. Competition has been strong. The judges have seen a wealth of excellent nominees which showcase the best of the UK's forward thinking internet community.”

The Best Practice Challenge is part of an initiative by Nominet, Department for BERR (Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform’s) and key parliamentarians to create a UK Internet Governance Forum. The Challenge recognises organisations, groups or individuals that have delivered a safer, more accessible, diverse Internet experience.

Ends/.

For details and pictures contact Patrick Wilson: 020 8223 2061 or 07951 797 975

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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