New law combatting cybercrime set to enter into force in Hungary!

A new law aimed at aiding the authorities in stepping up action against cybercrime and cybercriminals will enter into force on Aug 1, the justice minister said on Wednesday.

The package of laws whose drafts were submitted to parliament by the justice ministry in cooperation with the national economy ministry, the central bank and the Hungarian Banking Association in the spring are the first pieces of legislation to come out of the government’s “intensive efforts” to combat online fraud, Bence Tuzson told a press conference.

The package is aimed at speeding up criminal investigations and proceedings, he added.

A key component of the law, he said, was information exchanges between banks to help them keep track of and move to freeze defrauded sums. Tuzson said e-commerce platforms also had a role to play in criminal investigations by deleting user profiles used for scams.

Another key aspect of the law is the change to criminal proceedings that will allow the courts to act based on general jurisdiction without having to involve special experts, Tuzson said. The law also enables the investigative authority to obtain certain banking and telecommunications data without the need for permission from the prosecution, making data gathering faster, he added.

The minister said the government planned to approve more legislation aimed at bolstering cooperation between law enforcement and banks in the autumn.

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