14 DAY TRIAL // As cyberspace is becoming a very crowded area, the number of users increasing with each passing year, the level of high-tech crime is also reflecting this upwards trend. This is the reason why several countries have already established special teams for investigating this type of cases, teams which are sometimes backed by the major IT players.
This is the case of Microsoft, which has announced that it will work together with Japan's National Police Agency, assuring the technical support for the special police unit involved in the investigation of cyberspace crimes.
Microsoft's Chairman, Bill Gates, is supporting this idea, stating at an Internet security symposium that a partnership with the government represents the key to stopping online frauds and underlining the "need for a very strong dialogue" between high-tech firms and government.
Another subject tackled by Gates is that of the users' education. "We need to have users to have far more awareness about giving out confidential information, giving out their credit card (numbers), downloading software that may not be what it appears to be and how to use their system in a way that keeps them safe," he said.
Microsoft hasn't offered any details regarding this agreement, but according to an official from Redmond, no money are involved.