INTERNET CRIMES

Internet Crimes

Internet Crimes

Introduction

No one can deny that Cyberspace is a virtual world in which defects, miseries and misdeeds of human beings occur. The global village effect generated by thousands of networks on the internet and proliferation of nodes around the globe helps immediate dissemination of messages and allows access to any information present in the network (Blakeslee, 2012). Similarly, the concept of computer or cyber crime includes computer crimes committed by individuals using computers on the internet that are closely tied to computer or property law that have historically been related to data , programs , electronic documents or information, etc.

It has been seen that crimes on the Internet is committed by individuals or hackers who are involved in financial frauds, data or identify theft, cyber terrorism, viruses, spying software and other spam (Hallam-Baker, 2008). The consequences of these actions are less harmful for individual users sitting at home but they are more damaging for businesses. This means, all these activities are considered as crimes that are punishable and effective investigation can help in the prevention of internet crimes. No doubt, at the international level, many governments and non-governmental agencies invest in the investigation and prevention of cyber espionage, fraud and other internet crimes involving economic and political interests (Jaishankar, 2011). However, in the light of Computer Misuse Act 1990, it is imperative to understand how crimes are committed on the internet and should be investigated (Legislation.gov.uk, 2012).

Discussion

One of the most important things that need to be understood is Cyber or Internet crime. In fact, Cyber crime is a crime that is related to computer crime in which the intruder steels the information through unfair means and uses it for its personal gain. Cyber crime is an illegal transaction that is done through the use of internet service. The main aim of this crime is to damage or destroy data, electronic media or networks of others (Blakeslee, 2012). The frauds related to computer such as blackmailing, forgery, misappropriation and theft of public goods with the help of computer networks or internet is known as cybercrime (Hallam-Baker, 2008). An important thing that needs to be understood is that the frequency and effects of cyber crimes are getting increased with the rapid pace of technological changes. This means, it has become difficult for the computers users and organisations to make their data safe as the intruders can get access to the systems with the help of internet services.

The most common criminal activities on the internet are based on spam, fraud, obscene content, cyber terrorism, and criminal defamation:

Spam

Spam is a kind of e-mails used for commercial purposes although these are illegal in different degrees. The rules and regulations related to spam are particularity latest and are not much known to many people. According to Computer Misuse Act 1990, there are some restrictions that a spam needs to follow in order to become a legal spam (Reed & Angel, 2007). It can be seen that there are many individuals and organisations that are using ...