Cybercop

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Cybercop is slang generally referring to police who use the Internet, although it is sometimes used in reference to cyborgs. This article talks about the policemen.

The U.S. "Report to the President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection" (1997) stated, "Cybercops are law enforcement personnel whose beat is cyberspace." According to Microsoft's Justice and Public Safety Division (Microsoft) Marketing Manager Ken Reeves, over 2,000 (international) law enforcement organizations had connected to the internet by 1996. Reeves noted: "The Internet is another protective device, just like the bulletproof vest."

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Chief Joe Vince stated: "The (U.S.) federal computer system is...the most powerful law enforcement tool I have ever seen."

There is an acknowledged civil libertarian objection to the idea of cybercops.

The United States Patriot Act greatly expanded the abilities of police authorities ('cybercops') to collect data from the Internet.