Vol. 511 No. 3
78 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the incidents of computer hacking which have come to the attention of the Garda authorities over the past three years; and his views on whether this hacking is on the increase. [22203/99]
I have been informed by the Garda authorities that the term 'computer hacking' is covered under the provision of section 5 of the Criminal Damage (Unauthorised Access) Act, 1991.
I also understand that over the last three years, there has been a steady increase in the number of such complaints being made to the computer crime investigation unit. In 1997, there was one such incident which was prosecuted in the District Court but was dismissed by the judge. In 1998, there were five incidents, however there were no prosecutions due to insufficient evidence or the complainant being unwilling to proceed. In 1999, there have been nine incidents, prosecutions have been instigated in two cases and there are two further prosecutions imminent. The Garda authorities inform me that further prosecutions may arise from ongoing inquiries.
