A Study on Online Child Crime and its Solution - Dissertation Example

of institute PREDATORS – WE ARE WATCHING YOU A study on online child crime and its solution [Pick the Contents Introduction: 3 Project Proposal: 4 The Modus Operandi: Various medium for conducting child crime 4 Shocking Statistics: 6 Nature and Types of Child Crime: 7 Child Pornography: 8 Inappropriate online conversation or exposure to adult content: 8 Child Prostitution Racket mobilised by websites: 9 Sexual Objectification of Children though sexually tainted conversations (audio or video): 9 The Solution: 10 Panic Button - A mechanism to alert law enforcement agencies and nab culprits: 11 Nipping it in the bud: Actions to be taken if a child is found communicating with a sexual predator online: 11 Conclusion: 12 References: 13 Introduction: The rise of the internet and digital systems supporting it has redefined communication and has given the term “connectivity” a whole new meaning. The unrestrained growth and development of the internet, based on the World Wide Web and international agencies like IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), ANSI (American National Standards Institute) etc has made it possible for every person in the planet to be virtually connected to the other. Internet has brought a sea change in the way we communicate, collaborate, do business or spend our leisure time. This revolution has brought many positive effects, like ease of business, affordable communication, easy access to data, and most important of all staying connected with people across continents and boundaries. The flip side to this is the threat to privacy and vulnerability of people’s personal lives and activities being monitored by the internet through social engineering, hacking attempts and child crime. Out of all these issues, the issue of child abuse over the internet by cyber criminals has been on the rise over the last decade. Research has shown that everyday more than half a million paedophiles are online. (FBI, 2011) Electronic Devices like: Computers, cell phones, chat rooms, social networking sites, digital camera etc are gadgets of our new high-tech world. These are those very same tools criminals use, taking the rising crime of sexual abuse of children to a whole new level. (The Oprah Magazine, 2012). The emergence and fast paced propagation of the internet wave and further sophistication of traditional application into more dynamic and rich application has paved the way for a new generation of cyber criminals who are in the lookout for opportunities to indulge in child crime, sexual abuse of children through child pornography and attempts to involve minors in prostitution by liaising them with third parties over the internet. According to the 1998 act of Protection of Children from Sexual Predators it is mandatory for ISPs to report any suspicious activities noticed in their networks that could be a potential act of child pornography, child trafficking or child prostitution. Project Proposal: Internet crimes have been on the rise and the occurrences including the diverse mechanism and criminal operations have been steadily growing with the continuous sophistication of the World Wide Web and technologies supporting it. Out of all internet related crimes, the crime of child exploitation, child prostitution rackets over the internet, child pornography and violation of a minor’s privacy has taken the world by storm and shaken it from its roots. The project will involve: 1. Researching the sources and platforms facilitating this crime 2. The growing cases of child crimes 3. The solution to the child crimes The Modus Operandi: Various medium for conducting child crime The matter of child abuse over the internet is a complex problem arising due to the following factors: easy access to the public network by both the victim and the perpetrator, dilution of monitoring and surveillance intensity due to millions of internet subscribers, disclosure of personal data by victim on social networking sites and through email, difficulty in identifying cyber criminals due to fake identifications etc. Internet triggered sex crimes consists approximately 7% of total sex crimes, 95% of which are non-forcible (Uhls, 2010) The crime of child abuse has been fuelled further by the social networking explosion and the mushrooming of hundreds of social networking sites most importantly: Facebook. Facebook represents the largest social networking community 60 % of which represent subscribers within the age of 20 and a staggering 35 % of which are under the age of 15. Crime over social networking websites have grown out of control in the last decade due to the easy availability of systems, technology and services to create anonymous or fake accounts. Child crimes over social networking sites represent a large chunk of the crime in terms of the modus operandi and nature of crime. Social networking sites, the raging topic on child predator media, were quite rare in 2000, but by the year 2006 contributed 33 percent of the initial contacts between (victims) minors and adults in the quest for illicit sex.(Sanchez, 2009). But the issue is not restricted to using social networking tool as a medium to achieve the sinister goals of sadistic criminals. It also involves using standard free email services, stand alone web instant messengers like: Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, and Skype. The crime rates are quite significant in these areas too. A recent research on online child crime revealed that one out of five children online is approached by a sexual predator, one who’s final objective is to set up a face to face meeting (Hansen, 2004). Social Networking Platforms based on Web2.0 technologies that come with the feature of text, audio and video chats, static profile posts, creating and maintaining user profile including sensitive personal data like: religious beliefs, political beliefs, gender, age, address, contact number etc are the most active agents of this crime. Recently there were lawsuits filed against criminals that skilfully used Facebook to commit such crimes. In the last 5 years alone there have been isolated cases reported from different parts of the world where child crimes were being committed and later being taken to task after investigation. Gaming Platforms also account for a significant chunk of sexual predators and a recent crack down on 3500 sexual offenders and subsequent closure removal from video game platforms confirmed the star reality. (Ribeiro, 2012) Social Networking websites offer the easy hunting ground for Predators lurking for minors, teens and early adolescents, to satisfy their carnal desires. The easy searching mechanism, identification and furthermore translating the virtual meeting into a real physical meeting through sharing of personal details is what has facilitated the crime. The surge in usage of social networking, online gaming platforms, smart phones and web-cameras has led to "more opportunities for potential offenders to engage with children," (Acohido, 2011) Shocking Statistics: We all know about the wonder-tool: The Computer and the latest miracle: The Internet. But along with the stupendously advanced technology and ease it has brought into lives of people, it is a cause of concern too. Given below are a few shocking revelations on child crimes and children computer and internet usages: 1 out of 5 US teenagers frequently appearing online have reported that they have received unsolicited sexual advances via the internet. Sexual approached were defined as requests to engage in sex chat or to give personal sexual information (Crimes against Children Research Centre) 25 % of children have been forcefully exposed to pornographic material online (Crimes against Children Research Centre) Only one in every 3 households is actively protecting their children with scanning, filtering and blocking software (Centre for Missing and Exploited Children) The most shocking of all revelations comes in the below statistic: 75% of children are willing to disclose personal details and family details in return for goods and online services. (Crimes against Children Research Centre) A meagre 25 % of children who encountered a sexual advancement or invitation reported it to a parent or adult. (Crimes against Children Research Centre) One out of 33 minors received a direct sexual solicitation in the last one year which means that a sexual predator asked a youth to meet up, called him/her over phone, and/or sent the minor correspondence, money or gifts through US postal Service (Your internet Safety Survey) One in 33 youth received an aggressive sexual solicitation in the past year. This means a predator asked a young person to meet somewhere, called a young person on the phone, and/or sent the young person correspondence, money, or gifts through the U.S. Postal Service. (Crimes against Children Research Centre) 77 % of the total targets for online sexual predators were of 14 years or older and another 22% were users aged between 10 and 13. (Crimes against Children Research Centre) (Sentry PC, 2012) “89% of sexual solicitations were made in either chat rooms or instant messages and 1 in 5 youth (ages 10-17 years) has been sexually solicited online.” (Hughes etal, 2001) Nature and Types of Child Crime: With the benefit of ease of access to virtually anyone connected via the internet which is more of a free space for the masses, comes the inevitable threat to privacy and the vulnerability of being monitored and used as a sexual object by sinister people spread across the globe who do it as a hobby, interest or run it as a business altogether. Types of Child Exploitation and Child Crimes include: 1. Child Pornography 2. Inappropriate online conversation or exposure to adult content 3. Child Prostitution Racket mobilised by websites 4. Sexual Objectification of Children though sexually tainted conversations (audio or video) Etc. Child Pornography: Child pornography is a severe offense and attracts extreme punishment across the globe in every country. Child Pornography though clamped down and arrested in its very inception a decade back with the inception of the widespread usage of internet and its associated malice is still rampant in various countries through illegal websites which are difficult to track. The US Bill against child exploitation and child crimes makes it mandatory for Internet Service Providers/ Mobile Media Service Providers to cooperate with US Law Enforcement Agencies and report any suspicious activity over the internet originating form their own pool of subscribers and report it to the authority for further investigation and action. Since the introduction of this bill in 1998 the national and international Child Pornography racket has been controlled and brought down to its knees. But remote cases of active online organisations and websites propagating child pornography still get reported to the enforcement agencies, media and the international audience. Inappropriate online conversation or exposure to adult content: Child exploitation is not only restricted to child pornography, but includes the application of chat tools and VoIP tools to call the victim and engage in the crime. Tools like Skype, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, AOL Messenger or any freeware messenger are used to initiate such crime. Social Networking websites like Facebook, MySpace, WAYN, Hi5, Orkut etc make it extremely easy to obtain personal information like age, gender, location, education, profession etc and contact details like addresses, phone numbers. Professional hackers at work round the clock having expertise in breaking into people’s account stealing passwords and usernames are also involved in this nexus. In some cases the details of potential victims are supplied through these providers. The way to the victim is thus made and the act of exploitation begins through invitations and friend requests. Exploitation includes requesting for pictures, using web-cameras to take photographs, indulging in inappropriate conversation, providing adult content to minors etc. Child Prostitution Racket mobilised by websites: Websites make virtually everything possible. From selling old and irreparable goods to buying goods overseas, trading online, conducting online interviews and managing an entire enterprise just via a web based tool, it brings the universe to your work station. This infinite possibility to do almost anything has invited the attention of cyber criminals. The web is also used for running prostitution rackets, conducting terrorist activities and child prostitution as well. Portals available over the web advertise children for sale to potential customers or available on a daily basis. It also has the option of buying minors from drug peddlers and handlers who do child trafficking as a part time job across borders. Such websites a huge source of potential income for the network of child traffickers are run from servers that are hard to trace. Sexual Objectification of Children though sexually tainted conversations (audio or video): How often have you received unsolicited Skype requests, email requests into your rediff, Gmail or yahoo account? It happens frequently and in many cases the identity behind such false and dubious ids is that of a sexual predator waiting to prey upon unassuming minors surfing the web in their free time. Such crimes involve sexual objectification of minors through obscene conversations and exposure to lewd remarks or gestures. The Solution: The solution to Child Pornography is not easy. In fact the solution to any online crime and ensuring a permanent stoppage to any such crimes is a gruelling task. The very nature of internet prevents the physical disclosure of a virtual entity (i.e., a person, a group, a company etc). Every day thousands of customers subscribe to internet service providers who are in turn registered to national internet service providers. Customers register their domains with a domain hosting company which in turn may be registered with another party, which in turn could be registered with the national internet service provider directly under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry of the country. An effective crackdown on individuals and groups involved in the hosting of such content becomes tough. But there is a way to get to the core of it and take the perpetrators to task. This is known as dynamic IP tracking. Dynamic IP tracking is a collaborative effort that needs equal support and cooperation from law enforcement agencies and the entire hierarchy of ISPs down to the lowest level. This tracking method gets the dynamic IP and starts tracking the gateway of the IP address. At the moment dynamic IPs are numbered in the IPv4 version containing 32 bits 4 sets of 8 bits each. Every user has a unique IP dynamically generated and visible over the net like: 198.234.222.201. This dynamic IP keeps changing with sessions which make it difficult to track the physical location of the cyber criminal. The gateway can be tracked however and through it the next concentric circle of subscribers and ISPs can be tracked. In this way the rough location of ISP can tracked which may lead to the final culprit. Such methods have been used and proved to be successful in nabbing lurking cyber criminals operating out of remote locations holed up in apartments, hotels etc. Panic Button - A mechanism to alert law enforcement agencies and nab culprits: A gruesome child crime incident reported two years back that shocked the whole world was that of 17-year-old girl Ashleigh who was murdered by Peter Chapman, a serial rapist. Chapman met the girl through the social networking site: Facebook. Officials Mr. Johnson and Gordon Brown thereafter wanted like Facebook to add a panic button that would be linked to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP)’s site. However, Facebook has turned down the proposal deciding that a CEOP button will not be added to a user’s main home page; instead it would be put on the site's Safety Centre. (Roberts, 2012) Some Warning Signs of Predators involved in a child’s online internet access are as follows: • Spending a lot of time online • Finding pornographic on the computer • Receiving phone calls, e-mail and gifts from unknown people • Withdrawal from normal activity • Switching screen quickly (Alt + Tab) • Uses different accounts for e-mail or Instant Messaging Nipping it in the bud: Actions to be taken if a child is found communicating with a sexual predator online: The parent should enter into a free and open discussion expainng the dangers of sexual offenders and the threat to one’s privacy. Periodic review of content stored in the computer. Pornography or adult material found on the computer could be strong sign of a of sexual predator communicating with the child Usage of Caller ID to keep track of who is calling Tracking of numbers dialled from home phone Monitoring of child's access to all types of real time electronic communications for example: chat rooms, instant message etc.) Monitoring child’s email account. Most Child predators would meet a child via online chat room and then communicate using email. Conclusion: The growing problem of child exploitation over the internet, electronic and mobile media through various platforms and media like, webcams, smart phones, email, instant messengers, chat rooms, social networking sites etc can be curbed by collective efforts. Personal vigilance is essential to nab culprits and prevent children from falling prey to such cyber criminals. As discussed in the Solution a balanced discussion with children and periodic monitoring is essential to keep child criminals at bay. References: 1. Harden Z. (2012, Mar 8.) Facebook child sex crimes lead to Short Pump mall arrest. Retrieved From: http://www.nbc12.com/story/17109089/facebook-child-sex-crimes-lead-to-short-pump-mall-arrest 2. Edwards, R. (2010, Apr 9).Complaints on Grooming and Bullying on Facebook Quadruple. Retrieved From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/7567922/Complaints-about-grooming-and-bullying-on-Facebook-quadruple.html 3. Hansen, C. (2004, Nov 11). Dangers Children Face Online. Retrieved From: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6083442/ns/dateline_nbc/t/dangers-children-face-online/ 4. Roberts, L. (2012, Mar 19). Facebook Snubs Government Demand for Panic Button. Retrieved From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/7474537/Facebook-snubs-government-demands-for-panic-button.html 5. Sentry PC.(2012).Shocking Statistics Retrieved From: http://www.sentrypc.com/statistics.htm 6. The Oprah Magazine. (2012). Child Predators on the Internet. Retrieved From: http://www.oprah.com/relationships/Protect-Your-Children-from-Internet-Predators 7. Hughes, D. R. (2001). Sexual Predators Online. Retrieved From: http://www.protectkids.com/dangers/onlinepred.htm 8. The Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2011, May 17). Child Predators. The Online Threat Continues to Grow. Retrieved From: http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/may/predators_051711/predators_051711 9. The Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2012). A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety. Retrieved From: http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/parent-guide 10. Sanchez, J. (2009, Apr 2). Online Sexual Predators Not Like Popular Perception. Retrieved From: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2009/04/study-tracks-changing-profile-of-online-sexual-predators/ 11. Ribeirio, J. (2012, Apr 6). New York Removes Sex Offenders From Online Video Games. Retrieved From: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/253348/new_york_removes_sex_offenders_from_online_video_games.html 12. Uhls Y. T. (2010, Dec 13). Online Sexual Predators: Myths and Facts. Retrieved From: http://www.psychologyinaction.org/2010/12/13/online-sexual-predators-myths-and-facts/ 13. Pure Sight – Online Child Safety. (2012) Online Predator Statistics Retrieved From: http://www.puresight.com/Pedophiles/Online-Predators/online-predators-statistics.html 14. Acohido, B. (2011, March 1). Sex Predators Target Children Using Social Media. Retrieved From: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-02-28-online-pedophiles_N.htm 15. Family Safe Computers. (2012). Online Predators. http://www.familysafecomputers.org/predators.htm Read More