The Emergent Law Enforcement-Network Security Initiative (eLENS) is an effort sponsored by the APWG that endeavors to take responsibility for helping to bridge the eCrime data-sharing gap between public law enforcement, private network security, investigative intelligence, network measurement and experimentation, and related policy.  While the operational lines between these entities are blurring, there is no corresponding policy to guide and coordinate what is occurring informally and on an ad hoc basis.  The eLENS effort will initially develop and promote uniform data exchange guidelines that address the full life cycle of information flows: discovery, acquisition, sharing, and disclosure. This will take into account the legality of capturing, observing, and sharing network activity, including the proper roles of the various stakeholders, and observance of evidentiary chain-of-custody principles to ensure resulting actions are ethically and legally actionable.

The three foundational tasks for the eLENS effort are 1) inventory and coalesce existing solution(s) to our defined problems from across the globe; 2) where gaps or deficiencies exist, develop reference guidance and processes for the orderly exchange of network and eCrime information; and 3) generate community dialogue on these recommendations from relevant stakeholders before revising and publishing them for practical use.

This effort will be composed of a number of small groups completing parallel tasks to allow for the efficient use of subject matter specialists and to minimize large-scale introductory adventures. The initial small groups may be (1) process models for sharing information; (2) description of acceptable sharing data formats and standards; and (3) identification of common sharing dynamics -- how and what to collect --- for specific situations and events.  Other groups will be chartered and operate as they are identified.

The effort is targeted to complete in calendar year 2009.  Some groups may operate into the future as situations warrant. Parties interested in participating in this effort should contact the APWG or one of the eLENS initiative’s leaders.