The private sector has a long history of developing technologies that can be used by law enforcement in implementing its crime-control tasks; however, there is no precedent for the private sector's dominance in the control and prevention of computer-related crime and identity theft. The private-sector's response to the increasing rate of computer-related crime has given birth to a growth industry, i.e., computer crime forensics. Law enforcement agencies depend on the private sector to provide the forensic tools needed to detect and track various types of computer crime. Firms that specialize in computer forensics are able to recover evidence of crimes in the form of e-mail communications, Web sites visited, file destruction, and account alteration. These same firms market their services to businesses for the purposes of identifying the risk for fraud, employee background checks, and the protection of information from unauthorized access. The private sector must continue to develop and perfect authentication methods and risk management strategies that can be shared in a protected environment. Law enforcement agencies, academic institutions, and private industry must engage in joint enterprises that aim to define the challenges of countering various types of computer crime, with a view toward developing technological tools that can prevent, detect, and assist in investigating these crimes. 43 references