"If Finland is to extend IT progress as a country, we are many years late on this issue,” said the IT law Professor in an interview with Yle’s Monday morning TV programme. He did add, however, that in recent years the issue has been picked up on.

Voutilainen is not surprised by recent espionage activity directed against Finland. According to him, security has mostly been taken care of during office hours and developed primarily on paper.

"It’s hardly surprising when you know the way the issue of the state’s information security has been handled for the last ten years – primarily producing paperwork,” he stated.

He also believes that responsibility for maintaining data security is at present too diffuse to be effective.

"We do not have sufficient guidelines as to who is responsible for overall data security in society,” said Voutilainen.