A Word document sent in error to UK IT media website, Silicon.com, has revealed that the UK’s National Hi-Tech Crime Unit has been soliciting support from companies willing to part with between £50,000 and £150,000 to be associated with its ‘getsafeonline’ campaign.
In return, the sponsors are offered the opportunity to use the public sector-run campaign to drive sales and promote their own products and services to the consumers and businesses which the secure computing initiative is targeting.
At the same time, the initiative itself has been getting a mixed reation from security experts, who have been pressing the UK Government for some time:
“While this action by the Government is certainly a step in the right direction, it could be argued that this measure is merely shifting what should actually be a problem for ISPs onto the shoulders of the public,” said Jamie Cowper, senior technology consultant at secure messaging company Mirapoint.
