Internet police is a generic term for

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

and government agencies, departments and other organizations in charge of policing the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

in a number of countries. The major purposes of Internet police, depending on the state, are fighting

cybercrime Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of criminal activities that are carried out using digital devices and/or Computer network, networks. It has been variously defined as "a crime committed on a computer network, especially the Internet"; Cyberc ...

, as well as

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

and

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

Canada

Several attempts have been made to introduce tools that would allow law enforcement and security agencies to eavesdrop on online communications without a warrant, the latest of which was bill C-30, tabled in February 2012 which was abandoned because of strong public opposition.

People's Republic of China

It has been reported that in 2005, departments of provincial and municipal governments in

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

began creating teams of Internet commentators from propaganda and police departments and offering them classes in

Marxism Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflict, ...

propaganda techniques Propaganda techniques are methods used in propaganda to convince an audience to believe what the propagandist wants them to believe. Many propaganda techniques are based on social psychology, socio-psychological research. Many of these same tech ...

, and the

. They are reported to guide discussion on public bulletin boards away from politically sensitive topics by posting opinions anonymously or under false names. China's Internet police force was reported by official state media to be 2 million strong in 2013. Chinese Internet police also erase

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

comments and post pro-government messages.

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

leader

Hu Jintao Hu Jintao (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese retired politician who served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the president of China from 2003 to 2013, and chairman of the Central Military Comm ...

has declared the party's intent to strengthen the administration of the online environment and maintain the initiative in online opinion.

Estonia

The Computer Emergency Response Team of

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

(CERT Estonia), established in 2006, is an organization responsible for the management of security incidents in .ee computer networks. Its task is to assist Estonian Internet users in the implementation of preventive measures in order to reduce possible damage from security incidents and to help them in responding to security threats. CERT Estonia deals with security incidents that occur in Estonian networks, are started there, or have been notified of by citizens or institutions either in Estonia or abroad.

Japan

In March 2022, Japan enacted on Wednesday legislation establishing an internet police bureau and a special investigative team at the National Police Agency tasked with tackling serious cybercrime cases.

Netherlands

Dutch police were reported to have set up an Internet Brigade to fight

. It will be allowed to infiltrate Internet newsgroups and discussion forums for intelligence gathering, to make pseudo-purchase and to provide services.

Thailand

Thai-coup-detat-2014-social-media-banner

After the 2006 coup in Thailand, the Thai police has been active in monitoring and silencing

dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 2 ...

s online. Censorship of the Internet is carried out by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology of Thailand and the

Royal Thai Police The Royal Thai Police (RTP) (; ) is the national police force of Thailand. The RTP employs between 210,700 and 230,000 officers, roughly 17 percent of all civil servants (excluding the military and the employees of state-owned enterprises). The R ...

, in collaboration with the Communications Authority of Thailand and the Telecommunication Authority of Thailand. On 29 April 2010, Wipas Raksakulthai was arrested on charges of lèse majesté following a post to his Facebook account criticizing King Bhumibol. In May 2011,

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

named him a "

prisoner of conscience A prisoner of conscience (POC) is anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. The term also refers to those who have been imprisoned or persecuted for the nonviolent expression of their conscienti ...

India

''Cyber Crime Investigation Cell'' is a wing of

Mumbai Police The Greater Mumbai Police (Marathi language, Marathi: बृहन्मुंबई पोलीस, IAST: ''Brihanmumbaī Pulīs'', formerly ''Bombay City Police'') is the Police, police department of the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a cit ...

, India, to deal with

computer crime Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of criminal activities that are carried out using digital devices and/or networks. It has been variously defined as "a crime committed on a computer network, especially the Internet"; Cybercriminals may exp ...

s, and to enforce provisions of India's Information Technology Law, namely, The Information Technology Act, 2000, and various cyber crime-related provisions of criminal laws, including the

Indian Penal Code The Indian Penal Code (IPC) was the official criminal code of the Republic of India, inherited from British India after independence. It remained in force until it was repealed and replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in December 2023 ...

, and the Companies Act of India subsection on IT-Sector responsibilities of corporate measures to protect cybersecurity. Cyber Crime Investigation Cell is a part of the Crime Branch, Criminal Investigation Department of the Mumbai Police. ''Andhra Pradesh Cyber Crime Investigation Cell'' is a wing of Hyderabad Police, India, to deal with Cyber crimes. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) also deals with Cyber Security. "Cyber Police", the Hi-Tech Crime Enquire Cell of the

Kerala Police The Kerala Police is the law enforcement agency for the Indian state of Kerala. Kerala Police has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The motto of the force is "Mridhu Bhave Dhrida Kruthye" which means "Soft in Temperament, ...

United Kingdom

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is the only recognised organisation in the United Kingdom operating an Internet 'Hotline' for the public and IT professionals to report their exposure to potentially illegal content online. It works in partnership with the police, Government, the public, Internet service providers and the wider online industry.

United States

References

External links

Cybercrime.gov
US Department of Justice CCIPS
Cybercellmumbai.com
Indian Cyber Crime Investigation Cell
US CERT
United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT)
US Secret Service Computer Fraud
OnGuardOnline.gov provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police
CERT Estonia
The Computer Emergency Response Team of Estonia
Tallahassee Internet Police
{{DEFAULTSORT:Internet Police Computer security organizations Internet censorship