CYBER CRIME INVESTIGATIONS

Problems in cyber crime investigations

Problems in cyber crime investigations

Introduction

Victimization in society results from many types of harmful behaviors committed by individuals or groups against other people. Behaviors considered negligent or abusive, or that otherwise are considered criminal in a particular place, often depends on the amount of harm inflicted, the technological means employed, and existing laws that forbid specific activities. Technological means used to commit cyber offenses refers to a combination of networked systems, hardware devices, software tools, and methods that people use on the Internet. Modern information technology (IT) hardware like computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, and gaming devices can be used offline (in standalone mode), online, or wirelessly, from private or public places, in ways that are not easily recognized as illegal and that transcend more the one geopolitical or legal jurisdiction. In addition, illicit use of computing devices can facilitate many forms of traditional in-person crimes (Wall, 2007).

To fully understand cyber and Internet crime, it is necessary to consider (1) the ways in which computerized devices and telecommunications systems came to be increasingly used for illicit purposes, (2) the myriad forms of online abuse and crime now taking place in our interconnected world, (3) the categories of people and organizations likely to fall prey to online forms of abuse and crime, (4) the social and economic impact of cyber and Internet offenses, and (5) what is being done to help prevent cyber offenses and provide services to victims of cybercrime.

Thesis Statement

Cyberspace is one of the fastest-growing sites of crime and transgression and presents numerous difficulties for law enforcers where much of the policing is actually carried out by non-police bodies.

Discussion and Analysis

Cybercrimes are usually classified into two categories: crimes that cannot be committed in any other way or against any other type of victim (i.e. where the computer or online service is the target of the offence - for example, tampering with data and planting viruses) and familiar or conventional crimes that are facilitated by information and communication technologies (ICTs) ('cyber' versions of identity theft, stalking, paedophile activities and trading counterfeit goods, among others). Additionally, some behaviour that are not strictly cyber-crimes in so far as they are not illegal may constitute what most people would consider harmful (e.g. some forms of pornography, gambling, unsolicited email, unregulated sales of medicines and prescription drugs, etc.).

For example, the most recent initiative in the UK is the establishment of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre which has brought together specialists from the NSPCC, Microsoft, AOL and Internet charities, as well as the police. Supported by the Serious Organized Crime Agency, CEOP is also linked to counterparts in Australia, Canada and the USA via an organization called the Virtual Global Taskforce.

Despite these initiatives, many academic commentators are scathing about the success of law enforcement agencies in tackling cybercrime. The main obstacles to its effective policing are the sheer volume of material generated and the global scope of the ...