lines used in the commission of a crime a crime in itself. The committee also recommends agreements with the United States that would allow police officials in both countries to search computer data banks. The problem with regulating the Internet is that no one owns it and no one controls it. Messages are passed from computer system to computer system in milliseconds. Government officials are hoping that Internet service providers, such as AOL, can police the Net themselves. But there is another problem that practically circulates through the Internet: The viruses. They can move stealthily and strike without warning. They have no real life of their own, and go virtually unnoticed until they find a suitable host. Computer viruses are tiny bits of programming code capable of destroying vast amounts of stored data and bear an uncannily close relationship to real viruses. Like real viruses they are constantly changing, making them more and more difficult to detect. It is estimated that two or three new varieties are written each day. Most experts believe that a virus is created by an immature, disenchanted computer whiz, frequently called a "cracker". The effects of a virus may be insignificant such as that of the famous "Stoned" virus that merely displays a message calling for the legalization of marijuana. Other viruses, however, can program files to constantly perform duplications that may cause a computer's microchips to fail. The rapid increase in computer networks, with their millions of user exchanging vast amounts of information, has only made things worse. With word processing macros embedded in text, opening e-mail can now unleash a virus in a network or a hard disk. Web browsers can also download running code, some of it possibly harmful. Many companies offer antiviral programs, capable of detecting viruses before they have the chance to spread. Such programs find the majority of viruses but virus detection is likely to remain ...
