State surveillance of the internet: human rights infringement or e-security mechanism?

Crime has always existed in the physical world. However, the transition of crime to an electronic medium brought about new challenges that had hitherto been unknown in the physical world. Besides the problems experienced in cyber crime prevention and investigation, the seriousness and consequences of cyber crime has gradually escalated, for example the distribution of child pornography, the growing prevalence of ‘identity theft’ and money laundering to name but a few. Since the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack on the USA, attention has increasingly focused on the control of the internet in combating terrorism and cyber crime. This paper focuses on the evolution of unregulated internet use to regulated use with the emphasis on state control by means of state surveillance in the interest of national security and combating crime.