The first conference of its kind brought government and law enforcement from all around the world together this week in Paris to discuss cybercrime.

As hard as it may be for them to admit, these officials agree they are barely keeping up with the pursuit of cybercriminals who use the Internet to cross borders with ease, and with little chance of capture or punishment, the Washington Post reports.

"The Internet, whose construction was fired by the universal ideals of freedom and solidarity, is testing our institutions," French President Jacques Chirac told attendees of the special meeting of the Group of 8 member nations and other countries, including Brazil, Denmark, Finland and Sweden.

Asked if American officials were ahead of the technology curve, U.S. Assistant Attorney General James Robinson told the newspaper "(W)e'd be lucky to be at the curve. These technologies grow on a daily basis and people are exploiting them all the time."

Most crimes committed online, however, mirror regular crimes: credit-card theft, fraud, illegal pornography, smuggling and copyright violations. What's different is how fast these crimes can occur, the newspaper reports.

The speed with which the Net can be used -- for good or for bad -- is what has hamstrung investigators around the world. Many of them need a great deal of technology training to understand the Internet and how it can be exploited by criminals, and there is no easy, fast way to collaborate with law enforcement groups in other countries.

"Speed is the name of the game; these things can happen instantaneously," Robinson said.

There have been some successes: the suspected author of the recent Lovebug virus that caused billions in damages worldwide has been identified and captured, and a number of overseas groups illegally selling and sending pharmaceuticals to U.S. customers have been stopped.

A number of significant issues remain, however, including international agreements between nations on how to cooperate, and resistance on some issues by the online technology industry, the newspaper reports.

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