Cyber Crime Division Διεύθυνση Δίωξης Ηλεκτρονικού Εγκλήματος | |
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Abbreviation | ΔΙ.Δ.Η.Ε. |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 3 March 2004 |
Preceding agencies |
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Jurisdictional structure | |
National agency | Greece |
Operations jurisdiction | Greece |
Governing body | Government of Greece |
Constituting instruments |
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General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Overseen by | Ministry of Citizen Protection |
Headquarters | Athens,[2] Greece |
Parent agency | Hellenic Police |
Website | |
cyberalert |
The Cyber Crime Unit (Greek: Τμήμα Δίωξης Ηλεκτρονικού Εγκλήματος; which can be literally translated as Electronic Crime Prosecution or roughly Cyber Crime Prosecution) of the Hellenic Police, for which legislative responsibility remains with the Ministry of Citizen Protection, was officially founded in 2004 with Greek Presidential Decree 100/2004 Government Gazette 69/Α/3-3-2004. In 2011 with Presidential Decree 9/2011 Government Gazette 24/Α/21-2-2011 was the establishment of the Authority of Financial Police and Cyber Crime Subdivision (Υπηρεσία Οικονομικής Αστυνομίας και Δίωξης Ηλεκτρονικού Εγκλήματος - ΥΠ.Ο.Α.Δ.Η.Ε.), of Police Directorate level, commenced operation in August 2011 comprises the Financial Police Subdivision and the Cyber Crime Subdivision.[3][4][5][6][7][8] It was reformed in 2014 with Article 17 of Section 2 of Law 4249/2014 Government Gazette 73/Α/24-3-2014[9][10] in which renamed Cyber Crime Division (Greek: Διεύθυνση Δίωξης Ηλεκτρονικού Εγκλήματος - ΔΙ.Δ.Η.Ε.), including the foundation and structure of Cyber Crime Subdivision of Northern Greece in Thessaloniki. Although it is still continues to be commonly known to as Cyber Crime Unit or Cyber Crime Center. The legislation for the Cyber Crime Division has amended with the Article 31 of the Presidential Decree 82/2020 Government Gazette 183/A/23-9-2020.[11][12]
Cyber crime law enforcement part of the Hellenic Police was introduced in 1995 in the line of duty carried out by police officers with information technology skills, among whom there was then police officer Manolis Sfakianakis who would later be appointed the first Head of the Cyber Crime Unit[13] commenced in the Head’s post in the time of Unit's founding on 3 March 2004 renewing the term of office until 17 February 2016, following the appointment in of George Papaprodromou[14][15][16] as the next Head from 27 May 2016 to 2 November 2018. The Cyber Crime Unit initially acquired IT equipments funded by private individual sponsors[12][17][18] and consisted of around four police officers where it has since been staffed by personnel around eighty covering different competencies including civilian personnel qualified with university degree and postgraduate studies. In the context of education to its officials, it has provided programmes of training and certification services at various times, such as the programmes CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) and CISA (Certified Information Security Auditor),[19][20] of the act Cyber Crime Division Personnel Training, of the Operational Programme Public Sector Reform 2014-2020.[21][22]
The Office of the Public Prosecutor of Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece (Court of Cassation; Areios Pagos) has been issued Encyclical 02/2019[23][24][25][26] on 22 May 2019 sets out the Cyber Crime Division’s terms of service and area of responsibility aimed specifically at what cases must submit to Cyber Crime Division. As of January 2020, the Cyber Crime Division (ΔΙ.Δ.Η.Ε.) in Athens, and alongside its branch the Cyber Crime Subdivision at the Northern Greece (Υ.Δ.Η.Ε.Β.Ε.) in Thessaloniki,[27] operating 24/7 service is further divided into five Departments:
It has resolved a large number of fraud cases,[28][29][30][31] extortion and child abuse,[32][33][34][35][36][37] while several resolved cases were only partially committed in Greece.[38][39] The Unit has intervened in a number of suicide attempts.[40][41][42]
In addition, the Cyber Crime Unit was launched a mobile app called Cyberkid accompanied with its respective website,[43][44][45][46][47] funded through private sponsorship by the Wind Hellas providing useful information to internet users, especially children, parents, legal guardians, using the internet. The Cyberkid app for portable devices (smartphone, tablet) is available for free download from the Google Play, App Store and Microsoft Store that users can directly contact the Cyber Crime Division in the event of a cyber crime incident.[48][49] The Cyber Crime Unit has organized a series of tele-conferences and a number of event days[50] delivered a lecture and informative presentation open to the public in various locations across the Greece to showcase crucial cyber matters and dangers of internet.[51]
It was also co-organized together with the competence authorities the annual Conference of Safe Cyber Navigation in Athens funded by various sponsors, having simultaneously live streaming, with the first conference was held on 8 February 2012 honoring the Safer Internet Day (SID).[52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69] On 10 November 2022 a Memorandum of Cooperation has been signed between Hellenic Police and Foundation for Research & Technology – Hellas (FORTH).[70] The Cyber Crime Division is operating a website called CyberAlert.[71][72][73][74]
Citizens can contact, either giving their name or anonymously, with the Cyber Crime Division headquarters in Athens and its branch in Thessaloniki in order to report internet attacks, crimes or complaints, requiring police intervention. Hellenic Police’s Cyber Crime Division’s published official methods of contact are:[75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87]
According to the National Administrative Procedures Policy,[106][107][108][109] complaints from consumers, either giving their name or anonymously, can also be made on the platform (kataggelies.mindev.gov.gr)[110][111] of the General Secretariat of Trade and Consumer Protection of the Ministry of Development and Investment, launched on 11 January 2023, concerning infringements within Greece, within the European Union or even outside the EU. It offers a choice of different categories, such as personal data protection, consumer goods, services, banking services, and others.
Cyber Crime Division has written on many of its announcements and press releases[112][113][114][115][116][117][118][119][120] that it is recalled that citizens can contact, anonymously or by name, with the Cyber Crime Division in order to provide information or to report illegal or offensive acts or activities committed through internet to the following contact details, where among these means the Cyber Crime Division’s Twitter verified account (@CyberAlertGR)[72] is included:[121][122][123][124][125][126][127][128][129]
Submitting to the police authorities, or other government prosecution authorities, anyone crime or illegal act or minor offence reports via social networking sites (such as Twitter) it could pose privacy risks and also might not be treated your content as confidential allowing your personal information may be disclosed to outside third parties.[130][131][132][83][133][134][135][136][137][138][139]
Since their launch, and as of 2024 onwards, the Hellenic Police’s Cyber Crime Division’s official websites cyberalert (cyberalert.gr)[71] and cyberkid (cyberkid.gov.gr)[45][140] do not have Terms of use and Privacy policy information available, and for their online operation do not have the accessibility features and applications set by Greek law 4727/2020 (Government Gazette 184/A/23-9-2020),[89] Directive (EU) 2016/2102 and Directive (EU) 2019/1024.[141][142] These violations of law 4727/2020 and EU Directive are against the disabled people and other people with different disabilities too, particularly public sector websites with respect to the what is foreseen for Web Accessibility Directive, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and digital accessibility. The new edition website of the Hellenic Police (astynomia.gr),[143] has been launched about on 14 December 2022, has digital accessibility application (Userway).
Since its foundation in 2004, Cyber Crime Division has received grants, gifts and sponsorships by individuals, public and private companies, with acceptance decisions publicly available on the Ministry of Digital Governance’s online portal Diavgeia (diavgeia.gov.gr), an online public registry of all activities relating to public sector.[144][145][146] These are cash money, services, goods, supplies, computer equipments, event expenditures and various others.[12][147] Such companies include Stavros Niarchos Foundation,[18] Bold Ogilvy,[148][149] Motor Oil Hellas Corinth Refineries,[150][151] Diamantis Masoutis,[152] Skroutz Internet Services,[153][154] Piraeus Bank,[155][156][157] Visa Hellas,[158][159] Eurobank,[160] Wind Hellas,[161][162] Vodafone,[163][164][165] Nova,[166] Forthnet,[167] Cyta,[168] OTE and Cosmote,[169][170][171][172] Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air,[173][174][175][176] Hertz Autohellas,[177] Geitonas private school,[178][179] Regional Development Fund of Central Macedonia,[180] and others.[181][182][183][184][185][186][187][188][189]
The many years of the term of office of the head of the Cyber Crime Division is in question, namely Manolis Sfakianakis whose term of office lasted from 2004 to 2015 about 11 successive years in number, and Vasilis Papakostas[190][191] whose is head from 2018 onwards.[14][192]
After 1 January 2021, and as of 2023 onwards, Cyber Crime Division and the Hellenic Police continue to publish, on press releases, posts and its official methods of contact, the fax machine for method of contact for the public.[75][76][77][80][83] With the law 4727/2020 published in the Government Gazette 184/A/23-9-2020[89][90] it is abolished since 1 January 2021 the handling of administrative, or not, documents via fax machine from the public, either physical or legal persons or legal entities, to the Public (Government) services of the Public Legal Entities (NPDD) and the organization of local authorities, such as Cyber Crime Division and Hellenic Police.