President Piñera signs Bill to Fight Cybercrime
The initiative is currently before Congress, along with proposed legislation on Personal Data Protection. Together, they make up the cornerstone of the administration’s goal of establishing a responsible regulatory framework to meet the challenges of cybersecurity.
President Sebastián Piñera signed the Cybercrime Bill today and announced the Presidential Instructions on Cybersecurity for the State, which will establish a responsible regulatory framework committed to fighting cybercrime.
“This proposed legislation, in conjunction with the entire security policy on the new digital society and cybersecurity, will surely enable us to create a new reality in our country,” said President Piñera during a ceremony at La Moneda Palace. Interior and Public Safety Minister, Andrés Chadwick, and Justice and Human Rights Minister, Hernán Larraín, as well as parliamentarians, authorities and members of civil society were in attendance.
The proposed legislation outlines cybercrimes and the sanctions applicable to them. These crimes include IT disruption, with sanctions established for malicious hindrance or disruption of IT system operations; hacking; improper or malicious interference with or interception of non-public transmission between computer systems, like e-mail or Whatsapp; IT damage; IT counterfeit; IT fraud and abuse of devices that compromise the integrity of IT data.
“We are very pleased to make progress towards incorporating the new technological revolution, and the knowledge and information society which it implies, into our everyday lives; but at the same time, we are not being naive. We are being prudent and responsible in order to guarantee that this technological revolution will be at the service of Chilean quality of life,” said the President.
Highlights of the Presidential Instructions include: appointing a high-level head of cybersecurity at every state institution, and updating and applying technical standards on cybersecurity and internal cybersecurity measures. State institutions must adopt standards and conduct detailed audits of their digital systems and platforms for critical functions. They must also monitor and analyze the operation of critical infrastructure for information systems in the different public institutions.
“Now is moment to make up for lost time and place ourselves at the forefront of this revolution. We must ensure that the change which it is sure to bring will result in an improvement in the quality of our lives,” concluded the President.
According to data from Chile’s investigative police, cybercrime rose by 74% between 2015 and 2017. This exponential increase demands updated legislation.
President Piñera has boosted the fight against cybercrime, seeking advisory services from bodies like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as well as agreements with countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Argentina and Brazil.