Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, Deputy Stanton, to the House, and commend both him and the Tánaiste for bringing forward this very important legislation. In this country we regularly pride ourselves on having seven of the top ten IT companies based here, including Google, Facebook and Apple. We are always pronouncing how we as a nation have been able to attract them because of our talented pool of graduates who have the skill sets required, plus the fact that Ireland is attractive in any regard. Dublin certainly is a hub, and Senator Horkan is correct in that regard. Equally so, we should be leading the way in terms of dealing with the criminal aspects of this. I would be the first to say that the development of technology has been of incredible benefit to many people. For example, what people with disabilities can do with iPads is phenomenal, compared to how it was twenty years ago. Equally there is a downside to everything, and this certainly has a downside. That is why this legislation is timely. I have no doubt that either the Minister of State here or one of his successors will have to update this legislation because it is very fast moving and constantly changing and evolving, no more than standard crime. The criminal is almost always one step ahead, and I have no doubt that it is the same in cyber crime. New devices and methodologies to facilitate crime will spring up.

I recently became aware of a small retailer in the Galway area who experienced a cyber attack, and their small computer system with perhaps 400 or 500 accounts was invaded. Unfortunately, the Garda told the company to pay the ransom. There was some sort of ransom in computer terms, and it cost the people a few thousand euro in order to get their system freed up so that they could continue doing their business. It was outrageous. It is the type of thing one might see in the movies, but one would not think that it actually goes on.

In the last Seanad I called for SIM cards to be registered, because any young fellow can go down to the sweet shop and buy 20 penny sweets and he can go into the mobile phone shop next door and buy 20 SIM cards for €50 or whatever it is. One does not have to be over 18 to buy a SIM card. Furthermore, there is no registration of these SIM cards. If one had to produce a drivers licence or passport to buy a SIM card and that SIM card was registered, at least then if the Garda are investigating crime and they discover this mobile phone number there would be some traceability there. I asked the library and research unit here to do some research as to what was international best practice in that regard, and it seems that only five or six countries had a registration of SIM card system in place. It was seen as unworkable because of the amount of SIM cards. There are probably twice the number of SIM cards in this country as there are citizens. That is how fast technology is moving.

I welcome the Bill. It is great that it is getting support from across the House, but I fear that it will be amended many times going forward because of the fluid nature of the Internet and social media and cyber crime. I look forward to Committee Stage, and hopefully we will get it passed through this House as quickly as it was passed through the Lower House.