The first trend consists of the convergence of information technologies and the increasingly widespread availability of those technologies to the world's citizens. The second trend is the role of computer security and privacy measures as a result of the increasing use of information collected and maintained by criminal justice agencies for purposes not directly related to the administration of justice. The third trend is the emergence of new policing paradigms; the nature of criminal justice information has been redefined as many jurisdictions move from the more traditional paradigm of law enforcement to an emphasis on law observance and crime prevention. The fourth trend is the emergency of computer crime and a new criminal class that observes no national boundaries and engages in the theft of intellectual property and the illegal manipulation of information essential to countries' commerce and security. The fifth trend is the growth of the Internet and the resulting opportunities for international cooperation and technical assistance. Figures and footnotes