In mid-May, Taiwan saw a sudden rise in COVID-19 case numbers. When Taiwan needed help the most, partners such as the United States, Japan, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland, as well as the COVAX Facility, a global allocation mechanism for COVID-19 vaccines, immediately pledged to donate vaccines or provided vaccines to Taiwan, allowing it gradually to bring the pandemic back under control.
This is a testament to international joint efforts to tackle the serious challenges brought about by the pandemic. The same joint efforts will be needed to address growing international cybercrimes in the post-pandemic era, and Taiwan is willing to be part of that effort.
Throughout the pandemic, Taiwanese government agencies and private companies have closely followed policies to prevent cluster infections. People began working from home, and schools adopted virtual learning. Consumers turned to e-commerce, and online food ordering and delivery service platforms flourished. The pandemic has led to these changes in our lives, and while it is sure to abate in the foreseeable future, the spread of cybertechnology will not. It has fundamentally altered the way we work, live, learn, and relax, resulting in an entirely new lifestyle.
Our increased reliance on technology has also made it easier than ever for criminals to exploit security vulnerabilities. Thus, cybersecurity will be one of the most important issues in the post-pandemic era.
As cybercrime transcends borders, victims, perpetrators, and crime scenes may be located in different countries. The most common cybercrime is telecommunications fraud, which uses the internet and other telecommunications technologies. Transnational cooperation is necessary to bring international crime rings to justice.
In 2020, Taiwanese police used big data analytics to identify multiple Taiwanese nationals suspected of establishing telecommunications fraud operations in Montenegro. Taiwan contacted Montenegro and proposed mutual legal assistance, enabling the Montenegrin Special State Prosecutor’s Office to move forward with the case. Through joint efforts, Taiwanese and the Montenegrin police forces uncovered three telecommunications fraud operations and arrested 92 suspects accused of impersonating Chinese government officials, police, and prosecutors.
It is believed that the suspects scammed more than 2,000 people in China, causing up to $22.6 million in financial losses. This case highlights the features of transnational crime. The suspects were Taiwanese nationals, the victims Chinese nationals, and the alleged crime occurred in Montenegro. Thanks to bilateral police cooperation, the suspects were apprehended, preventing further victims.
Child and youth sexual exploitation is another example of such international crime. In 2019, Taiwanese police received information from the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s virtual private network CyberTipline indicating that a South African citizen in Taiwan had uploaded large quantities of child pornography. Following the lead, Taiwanese police quickly located the suspect and searched his residence, seizing evidence and finding photographs and videos of him sexually assaulting Taiwanese children. The illicit images were stored on servers located in the U.S., and the alleged crimes were committed in Taiwan. As the victims in this case were underage, they were too young to adequately explain the situation or seek assistance. If Taiwanese police had not received the leads, the suspect would likely have continued to assault children.
Again, transnational cooperation and criminal intelligence-sharing were used effectively to curb crime. Taiwan’s specialized High Technology Crime Investigation Unit and its accredited Digital Forensics Lab have helped us develop expertise in combating cybercrime, which will benefit global efforts to build a safer cyberspace.
Cybercrime requires investigations across borders, which is complicated by variations in jurisdictions’ laws and definitions of crimes. Criminals understand this all too well and exploit the resulting information barriers, crossing borders to decrease the likelihood of being caught.
Like COVID-19, cybercrime can strike individuals in any country. Therefore, just as the world has joined forces to combat the pandemic, only international police cooperation and information-sharing can counter cybercrime.
Taiwanese police have long worked to promote international cooperation against cross-border crime. In 2020, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the U.S. worked together to raid fraudulent transnational call centers in January, discovered a U.S. currency counterfeiting ring in February, and in July apprehended 12 individuals suspected of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation.
The Global Policing Goals endorsed by Interpol member countries in 2017 had the stated purpose of creating a safer and more sustainable world. With this mission in mind, we must work together against crime just as we have joined forces to combat the pandemic. No police agency or country should be excluded.
To fight cybercrime and bolster global cybersecurity effectively, the world needs to cooperate. Taiwan needs the world’s support, and Taiwan is willing and able to help the world by sharing its experience. And in that same spirit, the world needs to support Taiwan’s bid to attend Interpol’s General Assembly as an observer this year and participate in Interpol meetings, mechanisms, and training activities. Taiwan’s pragmatic and meaningful participation would help make the world a safer place for all.
Huang Chia-lu is the commissioner of Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau.
