Europol Cybercrime Conference: Future-proofing policing in the digital age

More than 300 experts from law enforcement, the private sector and academia gathered this week at Europol’s headquarters for what has become one of the world’s biggest platforms of exchange on cybercrime.

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Under the theme “The Evolution of Policing – do we need a social contract in cyber space?” Europol’s Cybercrime Conference looked at the challenges and opportunities that the digital age present to policing.

This two-day conference (19-20 October) organised by Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) saw the participation of over 150 organisations and more than 58 different law enforcement agencies engaging in fruitful discussions on how to tackle the challenges at hand and proactively prepare for emerging technologies.  

Key themes discussed included:

• Criminal investigations in the digital age
• The role of law enforcement in keeping the metaverse safe and secure
• Emerging technologies – separating fiction from real impact
• The future law enforcement officer – in which areas do we need to invest?

The topic of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine was high on the agenda. This was reflected in this year’s keynote speeches, with Mikko Hyppönen from WithSecure delving into how technology is shaping conflicts and crises. In a moving address, a senior inspector at the Cyber Police Department of the National Police of Ukraine went on to explain the impact the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has had on their policing priorities.

In his closing remarks, the Head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, Edvardas Šileris, said:

These two days of lively, solution-orientated discussions between law enforcement, the industry and academia have proved how central public-private partnerships have become to running criminal investigations in the digital domain. I look forward to continue building on our trust relationships to deliver an improved international response to the ever-changing criminal landscape.

The conclusions of the conference, emphasised that:

• Policing requires a future-proof and agile legal framework to operate in the digital age; regulation and innovation have to complement one another.
• Public and private partnerships remain an essential dimension in the fight against cybercrime.
• While safety, security and privacy are the essence of our social contract, developments like the metaverse, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, etc. show the constant need for adaptation and evolution, at regional, national, and global level.

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Sélectionné par Virginie GASTINE MENOU