Through the establishment of the Attorney General's computer crimes unit, Arizona can now focus on combating technology crime. While computers and the Internet have become a convenience and asset for companies and individuals, technological advances have also given criminals a new way to commit the same old offenses. These include: Identity theft, theft of personal information, fraud, distribution of child pornography and sabotage. The Computer Crimes Act of 2000 is a comprehensive law that has strengthened the penalties for some technology offenses and added clear definitions for others. For example, these updated laws:

• Classify "luring" a child over the Internet for the purposes of exploitation as a felony
• Make it a crime to knowingly send pornography to a minor over the Internet
• Protect businesses from theft of trade secrets, credit card fraud and forgery
• Protect important infrastructure systems, such as water, electricity and traffic services from interruption
• Enable prosecutors to go after people who "stalk" individuals or get others to "stalk" someone through the use of the Internet or e-mail.