Technology as a Way of Combating Crime - Essay Example

Recent Advancements in Information Technology on New Forms of Criminality Insert Name Course, Class, Semester Institution Instructor Date Recent Advancements in Information Technology on New Forms of Criminality Introduction When the security agencies across the world turned to technology as a way of combating crime, everyone thought this was the end of criminality. Unfortunately, the thoughts were wrong. The anticipations of people were later to be thwarted by the reality that technology came to enhance rather than reduce crime. The technology factor serves criminals better than it does to those that it should. The police, intelligence agencies, military and secret services are equipped with the most effective technologies for purposes of surveillance and tracking down law breakers, both on the local and the international scene. According to Wood and Kempa (2012), lately, most criminals are using information technology more than they are using arms and crude weapons. Technology came to change a criminal from the traditional rough looking thief to the white collar fraudster. Today, spotting a difference between a bank manager and an international criminal is an uphill task, thanks to advances in information technology. This paper endeavors to look into how recent advances in technology have created new forms of criminality that can transcend borders and take law breaking to the international scene. Information Technology and Crime With most companies coming up with such things as smart phones, information technology is coming down to the individual level. A few decades ago, information technology was so much institutionalized that people could hardly speak or simply communicate with their friends, colleagues and relatives in other countries. On the contrary, today, a person in china and one in the United States can effortlessly communicate, generating instant feedback. Modern information technology is defined by such things as mobile phones, satellite technology, the internet, instant messaging and so on. While these have made life better by enhancing communication, they have contributed to insecurity and other social evils, such as cybercrime. Cybercrime is not such an old word in the world of criminology. The term is as new as the latest advances in technology. Cybercrime is a form of law breaking where the offender commits the offence through a computer network (Zednar 2003). Cyber crimes are mostly associated with the internet and unauthorized access. Worth mentioning is the reality that most internet crimes are related to hacking and fraud. I will now turn to hacking, and will give a detailed explication of the concept. Hacking is a process that entails the use of computer knowledge to gain unauthorized access to some areas in a computer network containing classified information. The hacker may use such information, either to benefit himself or to ruin the endeavors of the rightful holders of such information. Apparently, hacking is the technological equivalent of trespass to individual or other private property (Manning 2008). Trespassing is both a civil and criminal case. This means that a hacker can either be prosecuted or sued for damages. The most important thing to note is the fact that the same individuals that create security software are the same people that make the hacking software. Such unethical conduct promotes criminality in the sense that they provide the hackers with the system tools that enable them to access other people’s private profiles without proper authorization. Apparently, hacking is a way of defrauding other people’s private property. For instance, if a person managed to hack into an organizations system, they may access highly classified financial information. Through accessing such information, they may transfer funds to their own accounts. This is not much different from robbery with violence. The only difference is the absence of violence. Otherwise, the two are the same and should be prosecuted with similar charges. Unfortunately, as is the nature with technology, the culprit of a hacker will get away with it since there is no easy way of tracking down the individual (Boba 2006). Tracing a hacker is not easy, especially now that telecommunication is global. People hack websites, acquire information and go unnoticed. Worth mentioning is the reality that in some cases, the hacked organization may not even realize that there was unauthorized access to their account. This explains why hacking is becoming a norm in the world of criminology. Speaking of hacking, criminals are having access to the websites and secured storages of police information. In the year 2006, a hacker in east Africa, managed to access over 60 police websites in Kenya. Accessing such information as criminal records is a very critical matter as the hacker can tamper with the records, additionally, hackers can be able to trace police movements hence manage to evade them. Hackers also referred to as cybercriminals, can collaborate with violent criminals to antagonize the police and other security forces (Manning 2008). Apparently, research indicates that security is currently moving from the public domain to the private sector for the fear that public security systems are inadequate. The connection between hackers and violent criminals explains why this decade has been associated with the highest amount of organized crime. Modern day gangs are fully staffed, complete with IT experts and programming professionals. Talking of organized crime and hacking, let me now focus on how such computer experts facilitate crime across the borders. Gone are the days when members of a gang had to meet under one roof holding meetings amid the fear of being tracked down by police. Today, members of gangs can communicate and hold meetings remotely through what is referred to as teleconferencing. This is a form of information technology where people from different locations meet and discuss issues over the internet through such devices as laptops and even better, smart phones (Boba 2006). Such features of information technology have taken insecurity and crime to the global scene. Combating such crime and insecurity is considerably difficult, considering that the efficiency of police forces varies from one country to another. In straightforward terms, information technology has helped the organized criminals coordinate well with one another. Such coordination is enhanced thorough enhanced communication and social interactions. Researchers have explained that social media is as dangerous as it is popular. In the recent past, there have been various reports of people defrauding others through social media. This is most common on the most popular social media sites, twitter and face book. Criminals join the social media platform, where they pretend to be usual users. Here they prey on unsuspecting friends. Such malicious people will usually use many lies to lure the victim into believing them. After gaining the trust, they may engage the person in empty transactions. Empty in the sense that whatever they term as the subject matter of the transaction does not exist. In most cases, the transactions are in such a way that money is sent through such online payment methods as PayPal. This means that the transacting parties never get to meet. The person that receives the money will usually disappear leaving his victim devastated. Such occurrences are common, and security agencies can do little to prevent them. Away from the social media, I will now focus on the use of cell phones to commit crimes. When cell phones were first invented, they were simple communication devices that were not any sophisticated. Back then, the only way through which an individual could track you down was to ask you to tell them where you were. Criminals used trickery to establish the whereabouts of a potential victim. Today, with technology having gone postmodern, the cell phones that people use are more than just communication devices. They are micro computers that can perform many tasks simultaneously. For this reason, criminals can easily track down potential criminals using the Global Positioning System (GPS) feature (Boba 2006). The GPS, which is an integral feature of any cell phone with internet capability, only requires a person to know the victim’s number. Through making calls, they can see the exact position of the prospective victim. As such, they close in, and launch the attack. Many have fallen victim of such circumstances for a long time. Still on the GPS technology, the police and the criminals have made security a complicated issue. With both sides armed with equally advanced technology, maintaining security has proven to be an uphill task since they use the information technology in equal capacity but for different purposes. In simple terms, while the police use such technology to trace the whereabouts of the criminals, such law breakers use the same technology to run from the police while attacking new targets. For this reason, many criminologists argue that advancements in technology have twofold effects, positive and negative, and from the look of things, the negative side is outweighing the positive side significantly. This causes deterioration in the security situation of the citizenry in many countries. Today, information technology is fundamentally defined by changes in the way people use the internet. The internet has been described variously as the cause of all evil in the modern world (Wood and Kempa 2012). Away from the internet and social evils, I would like to focus on satellite technology. Satellite technology enables a person to have a distant aerial view of a targeted region. Such a person can launch an attack on the place trough bombings using weapons of mass destruction. Perhaps this is the common negative use of information technology. The most prominent example is the terrorist assault on innocent people in Mumbai, India in the year 2008. The attack was not like any other terrorist attack executed using try an error methods. The assault was precise, with the criminals using such pieces of information as Smartphone, satellite imagery and night vision goggles. The criminal assailants used the night vision gadgets to spot other victims. The attack will go down in history as one of the worst security blunders, thanks to technology. Since then, there have been many attacks and criminal activities executed using information and technology. Still on international crimes, the police apprehended a man that wanted to launch attacks on the pentagon through sending a remote controlled device loaded with heavy explosives. The man, based in Boston, was a technology expert whose intentions have yet to be established. Of course, his primary intentions were to bomb the pentagon but the reason why he would endeavor to do such a thing is what remains to be established by both the police and the intelligence agencies. Essentially, the man was identified as a menace to international security. International security remains a paramount determinant of global relations (Bauman 2000). Notably, globalization has integrated the world economies and requires that the international community remains secure and stable for collective prosperity. Apparently, the international community is a volatile one when it comes to communication. People have used technology to spread terror messages. When Osama was in hiding, he created so much tension through the video taped messages sent to the white house regularly. The messages made people tense as the security of the world was at stake. It therefore follows that telecommunication can be a major cause of anxiety and tension, which only accelerates criminal activities. Although telecommunication is rumored to have had a major hand in the apprehension of Osama, it as well aided him in staying free for so long. For instance, it is through Osama’s understanding of technology that the world’s most sought after criminal found ways of evading satellite surveillance. The net effect of advances in telecommunication on criminality is that security moves from being a public utility to being private privilege. This is a complicated situation entailing social inequities. Essentially, what is being communicated is the reality that technology assisted crimes is beyond the police and other security agencies (Wood and Kempa 2012). As such, the government can no longer protect the citizenry against crimes. Only those individuals that can afford private security are safe in the contemporary society. The United States is the best example of countries whose administrations have failed to contain crime based o technology. Today, for example, the united states, as a country has the highest number of illegal immigrants, thanks to advancements in information technology. One may wonder how advances in information technology can cause people to migrate illegally into the United States. It is simple. A person will use such information technology expertise to doctor their documents in such a way that they validate his entry into the country. Most countries including Australia are currently fighting this menace. In exploring the six paradoxes of security Zedner (2003) argues that insecurity is characteristic of the contemporary world. Arguably, security is a determinant of the extent to which social and economic development will be achieved in the community. Zedner (2003) poses many questions regarding the beneficiaries of state security, when such security stands for justification for the public and private domains. The cost at which security comes In the present world is high and Zedner (2003) questions the reasons behind such high cost of security. The author as well seeks to understand who bears the costs of such security. Presently, there are more private security agents than the public policing personnel. Zedner (2003) further observes that crime is more synonymous with modern society. She says, “No wonder then that so much energy is invested in developing other ways of tackling the problem of crime—a problem that is so enduring and endemic a feature of modern society.” The presumption is that security is moving from the public domain to the private sector. The fact that people can no longer trust in the government to protect is an indication that the present circumstances are not in favor of peaceful coexistence. According to Zedner (2003), the first paradox of security is that it seeks risk reduction but presumes persistence. This is a clear reflection of the societal conditions today. Security is an idealized state that seems unachievable. Considering that this is the information age, it is worth concluding that security is affected by the modern changes in technology. The third paradox of security according to Zedner (2003) argues that security in the present world, does not deliver the reassurance it promises. Instead, it enhances anxiety. The observations of Bauman (2000) are not much different from what Zedner (2003) talks about. Bauman (2000) tries to explicate the concept of order and what people will always consider as a norm. The concept of order is brought into the picture in light of the functions of police. The police, in maintaining law and order, do not achieve much considering that the aspect of security being a public good is no longer holding water. The police are going about national security as a norm. They do not serve significantly in reducing criminality. Security is in the hands of the private sector. Zedner (2003) argues that security is no longer a public good. And being the essential commodity it is, people are willing to pay more for the acquisition of private protection. This, says Zedner (2003) could be the reason why private guards are seen patrolling more than the police. Wood and Kempa (2012) observe that policing is a complex concept. According to the authors, plural policing is a central concept in the modern world. Apparently, community policing is one of the most common aspects of plural policing. The explanation behind the massive privatization of security in the modern world is explained by Wood and Kempa (2012) as a result of the rise in communism. This is termed as the presence of mass private property in the economies. Social contract, on which government legitimacy was founded no longer, exists. People are currently mindful of their own property. Globalization and internationalization security has come as a result of the decision by people to take businesses to the global arena. This has made security and criminality a transnational issue. Conclusion In conclusion, it is clear that from the foregoing, advances in information technology have worked to frustrate security efforts and the endeavors of the police and other security agencies to minimize criminality. The most prominent forms of crimes upheld by the advances in information technology are such things as cybercrime, terrorism, insecurity, piracy and hacking. The security agencies realize that the only way through which people can combat crime is community policing and updating themselves on the latest developments in the world of technology. Worth mentioning is the actuality that people will always endeavor to keep them safe by procuring private security. This is not a solution to the menace, as the poor members of the community, who cannot afford private security, will suffer. Essentiality, security is a public utility and should be treated as such. References Bauman, Z. 2000. Social Uses of Law and Order. Criminology and Social Theory, Chapter 2, Oxford [U.A.], Oxford Univ. Press Boba, R. 2006. Crime Analysis and Crime Mapping. Thousand Oaks, Ca, Sage Publications. Manning, P. K. 2008. The Technology Of Policing Crime Mapping, Information Technology, And The Rationality Of Crime Control. New York, New York University Press. Moore, R. 2010. Cybercrime Investigating High-Technology Computer Crime. Burlington, Elsevier Science. Wood, J and Kempa, M. 2012. Understanding Global Trends In Policing: Explanatory And Normative Dimensions. Global Policing, Chapter 13, London, Sage Zedner, L. 2003. Too Much Security? International Journal Of The Sociology Of Law 31 (2003) 155–184 Read More