Cyber & IP Europe

Background

The U.S. Transnational and High-Tech Crime Global Law Enforcement Network (GLEN) program is the result of a partnership between the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (DOS/INL) and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (DOJ/CCIPS) and Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (DOJ/OPDAT).

The GLEN is a worldwide law enforcement capacity building network of International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (ICHIP) attorney advisors, computer forensic analysts (Global Cyber Forensics Advisors or GCFAs), and federal law enforcement agents who deliver technical assistance to foreign partners to combat intellectual property and cybercrime activity, as well as to assist in the collection and use of electronic evidence to combat all types of crime, including transnational organized crime (TOC).

Currently, ICHIPs are posted to regional positions in Africa (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), Asia (Hong Kong S.A.R.; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and support from DOJ/OIA Attaché in Bangkok, Thailand (IPR focused)), Europe (Bucharest, Romania; Zagreb, Croatia; and The Hague, Netherlands), and Western Hemisphere (São Paulo, Brazil and Panama City, Panama). Two subject-matter expert ICHIPs -- the ICHIP for Internet Fraud and Public Health (IFPH) and the ICHIP for Dark Web and Cryptocurrency (DWC) -- as well as DOJ computer forensic analysts and law enforcement officials with intellectual property and cybercrime expertise also form part of the GLEN.

The objective of the GLEN is to promote the rule of law and to protect Americans from criminal threats emanating from abroad by delivering targeted training to encourage both immediate improvements as well as long-term institutional change. This assistance includes training workshops, legislative review, case-based mentoring, skills development, and promoting institutional reform such as the formation of specialized units to address these criminal threats.

Finally, the ICHIPs encourage countries to join the Council of Europe’s Convention against Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) as well as the G7 24-7 High Tech Crimes Digital Evidence Sharing Network (HTCN), an informal network that provides high-tech expert contacts to assist in preserving and sharing digital evidence.

IPR-Focused ICHIP

ICHIP Bucharest supports the capacity building needs in partner nations throughout Europe (Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, including Central Asia) by assessing the capacity of law enforcement authorities throughout the region to enforce IPR; designing and implementing case-based mentoring and skills development training designed to enhance the capacity of justice sector personnel to enforce IPR; assisting in developing or strengthening institutions dedicated to IPR enforcement; monitoring regional trends in IPR protection; and furnishing expert assistance in support of U.S. intellectual property (IP) policies and initiatives in the region.  The ICHIP also assists foreign partners with IPR-related legislative drafting and preparing country submissions for the U.S. Trade Representative’s annual Special 301 Report. Finally, the ICHIP acts as a liaison between U.S. law enforcement partners in the region and rights-holders, whose support is critical for IPR investigations and prosecutions.

Cyber-Focused ICHIPs

ICHIP The Hague and ICHIP Zagreb help to improve the capacity of foreign legal and law enforcement partners in Europe (Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, including Central Asia) to combat transnational cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime by addressing partner countries assistance needs through assessing the capacity of law enforcement, prosecutorial and judicial authorities to detect, investigate, prosecute and adjudicate cybercrime; designing and conducting case-based mentoring and skills training designed to enhance the capacity of justice sector personnel; assisting in developing or strengthening institutions dedicated to  cybercrime enforcement; and monitoring regional trends and providing expert assistance in support of U.S. cybercrime policies and initiatives in the region. They also review and comment on draft legislation that seeks to address cybercrime and related digital evidence issues. ICHIP The Hague also works with officials at Eurojust and Europol as well as other regional organizations, such as the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Together, the ICHIPs in Europe have designed, organized, and implemented high quality programs for thousands of judges, prosecutors, investigators, digital forensic analysts, and policy officials from countries in the region.

Cyber-Focused ICHIP Recent Activities  

• July 2024: In Istanbul, Türkiye, ICHIPs The Hague and Zagreb hosted 44 law enforcement and prosecutors from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, and Türkiye for a program focused on building internet investigation skills and relationships with U.S. online service providers. The event included presentations on clear web and darknet investigations from U.S. and European law enforcement agents and prosecutors. Attendees also met with representatives of Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Kodex.
• July 2024: In Kyiv, Ukraine, ICHIPs The Hague and Zagreb, OPDAT’s Kyiv RLA, CCIPS Trial Attorney Frank Lin, and FBI experts from the Los Angeles Field Office worked with 50 Ukrainian law enforcement officials and prosecutors in a series of three, one-day workshops.  Days one and two were devoted to building the OSINT skills of anti-corruption law enforcement and prosecutors from NABU and SAPO, with the first day focused on introducing attendees to basic OSINT tools and techniques, and the second day centering on more advanced OSINT methods. On day three, Ukrainian cyber police and prosecutors were exposed to various methods for investigating and prosecuting cases involving ransomware, dark web markets, and cryptocurrency.
• June 2024: In Ljubljana, Slovenia, ICHIPs Zagreb and DWC hosted law prosecutors and other law enforcement officials from Albania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia at a program entitled “From Dark to Light: Investigations of Dark Web Marketplaces.” The program received significant support from Analysts and Special Agents associated with the FBI Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team, which presented detailed strategies for taking down dark web markets, including walking participants through multiple hands-on exercises related to illicit darknet sites. ICHIP DWC presented on the recent Bitcoin Fog proceeding and its potential usefulness for international criminal justice officials due to the extensive publicly available information on the case.
• June 2024: In Zagreb, Croatia, ICHIPs The Hague and Zagreb assisted with a digital evidence briefing and presented a case study on Operation Trojan Shield and Anom for Croatia's specialized prosecution Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organized Crime. 

IPR-Focused ICHIP Recent Activities

• July 2024: In Sofia, Bulgaria, ICHIP Bucharest participated in a series of meetings with USTR, USPTO, and Bulgarian police, prosecutors, and IP officials to discuss Bulgaria's lack of progress in prosecuting digital piracy cases and the ways in which the ICHIP program can assist them. During the meetings, Bulgarian officials highlighted how the lack of a current government and upcoming elections, recent amendments to the Constitution, random assignment of cases to nonspecialized prosecutors, lack of judicial understanding, and lack of sufficient skills are contributing to the delays in prosecuting digital piracy cases. The ICHIP discussed developing additional trainings with practical tabletop exercises for prosecutors and police.
• June 2024: In Tashkent, Uzbekistan, ICHIP Bucharest, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the World Health Organization (WHO) hosted a counterfeit pharmaceuticals program for 28 law enforcement investigators, prosecutors, customs officials, and health regulators from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. This program was the first time that law enforcement and health officials from Central Asia came together to discuss cross-agency approaches to tackling counterfeit pharmaceuticals.. Attendees shared experiences and gained insights on best practices for identification of counterfeit pharmaceuticals, customs seizures of counterfeit medicines, how to build successful IP investigations using online evidence, and how to develop cases for prosecution..
• May 2024: In Varna, Bulgaria, ICHIP Bucharest and OPDAT’s Central Europe Anti-Corruption (CEAC) RLA conducted an IP enforcement and corruption program for police, prosecutors, and customs officials from Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine. The program focused on investigative and prosecutorial methods for combatting intellectual property crimes connected with the government supply chain and facilitated through corruption.