The United States' Attorney-General, Janet Reno, has said that stopping crime on the Internet is one of the US government's top priorities.

She said technology had created new opportunities for criminals and the US government was committed to making the Internet a secure place to do business.

Her comments came as the FBI launched an investigation to trace computer hackers who have attacked and paralysed large commercial Internet sites over the past three days.

Some of the Internet's most popular sites have been flooded with e-mails and other data, forcing them to shut down for several hours. A BBC correspondent says it may never be possible to trace the hackers, who may have hidden their identity by using other peoples' computers.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service