EURid and Europol officially team up to fight cybercrime
The Hague, 21 December 2016 – EURid, the European registry of Internet domain names, has been making great strides in cleaning up the .eu and .ею domain name space, particularly as of late. Just earlier this month, it was reported that in 2015 alone, EURid suspended 14,710 domain names and so far in 2016, a total of 5,877 domain names were suspended. As an additional measure, EURid has been actively working with various law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Ministry of Economy and the Cybersquad team.
Today, EURid takes their efforts to the next level with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Europol, the European Police Office. The scope of the collaboration effort is based on the exchanging of knowledge and support pertaining to cybercrime. Specifically, it entails (1) the engagement in joint efforts related to fighting cybercrime, (2) the exchange of statistical data and trends pertaining to cybercrime, and (3) the commitment to cooperate on projects designed to combat cybercrime.
“Overall, cybercrime rates worldwide have been climbing over the past few years. It’s up to us to increase our efforts in combatting illegal activity online and hopefully influence others to do the same” states Geo Van Langenhove, EURid’s Legal Manager. According to Europol, some EU Member States are now reporting that the recording of cybercrime offences may have surpassed those associated with traditional crimes in 2016.
EURid and Europol joining forces marks a large step in the right direction to combating cybercrime, but their efforts won’t stop there. “It’s imperative that we continue to monitor and identify abusive registrations and alleged illegal activity happening within the .eu and .ею space and take action in a timely manner. Our collaboration with Europol will greatly help us accomplish this, however, we must continue to evolve in order to remain a step ahead of those with malicious intent” comments Giovanni Seppia, EURid’s External Relations Manager.
About EURid
The .eu domain ranks among the largest top-level domains in the world, connecting more than 500 million people across 31 countries to one Internet identity. More than 3.8 million .eu names have been registered since the domain opened for registration in 2006. Many companies and brands use a .eu website as a practical solution to convey a clear European identity and their business ambitions.
EURid is the not-for-profit organisation that operates the .eu and .ею top-level domains, following a tender process and appointment by the European Commission. EURid works with over 700 accredited registrars and provides support in the 24 official EU languages. As part of its ongoing commitment to data security, EURid has been certified for the ISO27001 security standard since 2013. EURid is also registered by the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), which is an expression of its environmental commitment. EURid has its headquarters in Brussels (Belgium), and regional offices in Pisa (Italy), Prague (the Czech Republic) and Stockholm (Sweden). More information at: http://www.eurid.eu.