Companies under the congressional microscope included Cisco, which Smith accused of helping China create a "police net" database used to track and imprison political dissidents around the country.

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He said that some companies have started limiting when people get unfettered use of the net to better help them police what staff do online.

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Its report estimated the total net loss, allowing for increased demand from police staff, could be as high as 177-191 spaces.

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Both Network Rail and Tramlink Nottingham, which runs Nottingham Express Transit (NET), said they were working with police to help with the investigation.

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It may be, in any event, wishful thinking that Congress can police cross-border activity on the Net.

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Police, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and NET, which runs the tram network, are all investigating, while Network Rail, Railtrack's successor, is co-operating with enquiries.

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But a college student surfing the Net earlier this year found out how tenuous those businesses are when police raided a Ho Chi Minh City cafe, disconnected the computer terminal he was using and carted it away.

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An undisclosed number of plain clothes police officers are travelling to Germany to help identify offenders who slip through the net.

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Swedish police can only request personal details from an internet provider about who own a specific net address if they are suspected of a crime that warrants a prison sentence.

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The 21st-century program represents a net gain in terms of law enforcement technology funding, because COPS combined tech money with funding for police departments to hire civilian officers to bolster their uniformed police corps.

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