The Internet and Increasing Criminal Risks - Term Paper Example

 THE INTERNET AND INCREASING CRIMINAL RISKS Introduction The digital era that set in with the current century has been largely fostered by information technology of which the internet is a key player in. Information technology has enhanced innovations, simplified communication, fostered development, created employment, bettered education, and made security more efficient. The internet plays major roles in all of these. One of the key attributes of the internet is that it has turned the world into a “small village” where meeting anyone on the planet is easy and anything happening at one point of the world instantly gets to every hemisphere. However, on the contrary side, the internet has brought along negative effects as well. Some of the negativities attached to the internet include breaching of privacy, cyber-related crimes, exposure to explicit content, deterioration of social standards, time wastage, and emergence of the wrong lifestyles to mention but a few. The following study text will analyse the relationship of the internet to the increasing criminal risks with regards to how much, and what roles that this technological tool plays in the negative occurrence. Risk in criminal activities Criminal activities have always been part of human society. These are the acts which are termed as ignoring or breaching the set standards, or acceptable way of conducting oneself. Criminal justice systems are put in place to regulate criminal activities and in their analyses of the matter; they have come to the conclusion that the virility of the internet use is directly related to increasing rates and varying manifestations of criminal activities. The term “risk” in this context refers to the two terms; the first is the possibility of one into committing a crime, and the second is the rate of exposure to criminal activities1. The most affected group in society is the youth since they are the ones who are more literate with the internet, and are thus largely influenced by the internet. However, every individual in society is affected by these risks in one way or the other. Cyber crime One of the most dominant areas where the risks associated with the internet occur is in the cyber fraternity. This is chiefly so because cyberspace is the most widely used context of information technology where the internet is a basic tool. In the contemporary world, internet literacy is mandatory and every aspect of life is being associated with the internet in some way. Schools rely on the internet to teach, workplaces are run via the web, enterprises host their financial and other critical documents online, same as banks, security agencies, and governments. All these, plus many other organizations collectively define the cyber fraternity. The risk in this sector arises with the knowledge that malicious-minded individuals are literate with information technology and can therefore apply their knowledge to wreck havoc. This means that all these individuals and organizations are exposed to the risks of being violated by the malicious internet geeks. The malicious acts are conducted mainly by hackers2. Hacking is the unauthorized access or control of any information technology systems. Banks are the most targeted since hackers strive to hack into their systems so they can redirect cash transactions into their own accounts. Individuals may be targeted for their credit card credentials or blackmailing. For instance, a hacker may take over the Facebook account of a rich individual and threaten to expose them or post explicit content to tarnish their names. Concisely, the dependence on the internet to conduct daily activities exposes individuals and organizations as well to cyber crimes. Online hate crime On the internet, the freedom of speech is overly granted to the extent that many people misuse it. There are open forums, dating sites, blogs, chat rooms, social sites, and multiple other venues through which people can dialogue on. These channels of communication are not bad, but they can host criminal activities such as hate speech. Hate speech is constructed and distributed by extremists who have personal reasons for their actions. In the past, it was easier to control and apprehend such criminals since they would use printed material or audio means to distribute their agendas. Such means meant they could be traced to their operating bases and stopped. Others would stand on street corners and use different means to access their audience. These ones could be easily arrested. The use of the internet has complicated the matter of controlling and stopping hate speech. Extremists can access blogs, and open forums hosted on Yahoo, AOL, and Google and post whatever they wish without the fear of being apprehended for their actions. They spread messages which may induce fear, panic, hate, or spread negative ideologies around. One of the key negativities fostered online today is racism. It is common to find racial organizations online such as white supremacists. White supremacists incite whites against the people of colour and alienate themselves from them3. As such, the non-whites can be said to be exposed to the danger of being harassed, harmed, or discriminated against just because the internet creates easy channels for racists to practice on. A popular case is the arrest of two white supremacists who had planned to assassinate the United States President Barrack Obama in 2008. Investigations into the matter revealed that the two had linked up through a popular social site. The other situation, adding up to a risk is experienced every in news agencies’ websites such as online newspapers. When certain articles or news are posted online, the extremists take advantage of such and interact with other online users to comment negatively on matters that may be sensitive, such as discriminating against ethnicities, religions, individuals, or other nations. This therefore supports that such risk factors are fostered by the availability of the internet and online communication channels. Child pornography Child pornography takes up many forms. One of them is the use of minors to create pornographic content. The second one is the exposure of pornographic content to minors. The internet is said to have boosted the pornography trade to its highest levels ever as compared to the analogue days. The digital era has made it very easy for violators of child pornography laws to not only sell and distribute but also acquire participants to help in creating their content. In the 1980s, the child pornography was emerging fast in developing nations and these sparked countermeasures by federal authorities. It was impossible to produce sexual content with underage persons, and producing pornography was in itself very expensive. In the event that certain content violating child pornography laws surfaced, the responsible parties would be hunted down to their bases of operation. As such, the vice was contained. The patterns changed with the onset of the 21st century, which tugged along information technology (thus the internet). The problem came in twofold; accessibility of pornographic content, and distribution. The internet became a significant risk factor in furthering child pornography. Producers of pornographic content find it easy to post abusive and explicit content online. Through social sites, emails, blogs, chat rooms, and particularly dedicated websites, images and videos depicting child pornography are made readily available with new content being uploaded every minute4. This presents the first risk; that the regulation of the criminal act is fast losing ground since the internet is being modified every day. Tracing such parties is expensive. This is further complicated by the fact that once a website is shut for violating such, it is possible and very easy to create many more and post the same content. The second risk is that the creators of child pornography can use the internet to conduct the recruitment of minors for their businesses. This is made possible by the secrecy and wide coverage of the internet; they can email or privately communicate with minors and manipulate them to take up their offers. The third risk is that the internet is readily accessible to people of all ages. As such, minors are exposed to such abusive (explicit) content, and again, they can be easily reached by the creators of such content. Weapon use The internet is at times defined as an information superhighway or store. Multiple factors support that it is indeed full of all forms of information; doctors search online for solutions, and so do students, lecturers, and historians. This sufficiently proves that if it is not on the internet, then it does not exist at all. As is the case with all the cases herein discussed, there are two sides to the issue of information being readily available; negative and positive. The negativities arise in that information can be misused. Additionally, it is impossible to filter out what content is being uploaded online or take it down as need be. The risk in this aspect is that people can learn how to say, use weapons such as guns by simply clicking on videos or tutorials which are readily available on the internet. This may not be an individual matter since people can control themselves; but it becomes a problem for parents, law authorities, and the whole community at large. For instance, a teenager can learn to load, cork, and fires a pistol. The same applies to aspiring criminals such as robbers. They may learn to devise weapons using readily available materials by applying tactics accessed online5. Google is the most used search engine, and contains all types of information which one may require. In a nutshell, it can be concluded that as long as the internet lives, new criminals continue to be released into the society daily. Impersonation Impersonation is pretending to be someone else. This is made very possible by the internet since every aspect about the most important tool is virtual and easy to manipulate. Impersonation can go beyond a person to an organization as well; a person may create a website or profile which looks like an actual one in existence. Impersonation is dangerous in that it leads to other criminal activities such as hacking, felony, and violation of protected rights. Impersonating a person is used maliciously to target other people or act as blackmail against the actual person. On social sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, Aol, Gmail, and all other sites, it personal profiles are impersonated and the fake profiles used to trick people into providing crucial information. For instance, one may be tricked using a relative’s fake account into providing family information. In other cases, celebrities or public figures are impersonated and the fake accounts and/or profiles used to spread false or negative information. The problem with impersonated profiles and accounts is that they are similar to the real ones and millions of people fall into such traps without knowing6. This happens especially in semi-literate or illiterate persons whose knowledge on the internet are limited. Impersonation is so intense that websites of federal authorities such as the FBI can be created and used to con people of their money. Others ape online stores and pretend to sell to unsuspecting customers. When this happens, the buyers' key in their credit card information and the criminals behind such activities transfer all their money to their accounts. The final risk is that when a relative or friend is impersonated, an unsuspecting target may be invited to meet the people behind the act, and if they fail to notice the tricks, end up being kidnapped or harmed. As such, all users of the internet are viable to such acts. Terrorism Apart from the internet, terrorism has expanded largely in the current century. It has been further revealed that the internet is the leading factor which has contributed to the growth of terrorism and terrorist activities. Acquisition of knowledge and ease of communication has made it possible for terrorists to plan, organize, and execute terrorist agendas. One of the key constituting factors to the growth and execution of terrorist activities is spread of propaganda. Since terrorists are also equipped with information technology knowledge, they use the available means of communication to target mass audiences and other terrorist networks in distant lands. The major forms of relaying propaganda are through presentations, emails, videos, treaties, video games, and encrypted messages. The size of the internet network and the millions of communication channels available make it hard to spy on, intercept, or stop such activities. The risk with this spread of propaganda is that it may convince, manipulate, or induce fear into internet users when they stumble upon such content. The worst risk, however, is that by informing fellow terrorist networks, notorious terrorist organizations can expand their reach and impose their ideologies on the world. Recruitment of members into terrorist networks is also done through the internet in the contemporary times7. This is aided by the spread of propaganda calling for support of terrorists’ agenda, such as Jihad upon which they can influence civilians to become members. The second aspect is that they can discreetly convey messages between them and the aspiring members. Recruitment can be done privately through the web upon which training and instructions can be offered without security agencies suspecting such. This seemed to have solved the problem of physically lobbying for, and recruiting members. Training can be done online through advanced means such as games. The games can be made to train members to shoot, use assorted weapons, and finding targets easily while avoiding federal action. Online financial transactions work as great tools for terrorists who send or acquire funding to support their activities. It is possible to have funds channeled into terrorism account from anywhere in the world. The parties closely associated with terrorist networks can collect money from terrorist sympathizers and send the funds to them. Transactions conducted online are usually secure and as such are useful to terrorists. Apart from channeling funds, terrorists also hack into online money transfer networks such as credit cards and use the funds to further their activities8. Terrorist funding is also a risk to global security, thanks to the internet. The final and most important use of the internet by terrorists is in identifying, planning and executing the places to attack. Applications such as Google Maps and Google Earth Live enable any internet user to access any place on earth as well as acquire directions, images and plans of landmarks and key buildings. After accessing funding, spreading propaganda and identifying targets, landmarks, air routes, and escape routes, they can easily attack places. The 9/11 attacks, for instance, had applications of such. The terrorists had the exact timing of the planes, the route they were supposed to follow, and the key buildings they were targeting. With that knowledge in mind, they were able to bring down the Twin Towers and kill thousands of Americans. All these were largely supported by the internet and information technology in large. Conclusion Evaluations regarding the relationship between increasing criminal activities in the above study reveal that indeed, the two are interconnected. It is, however criminality which benefits from the internet. The advancement of internet use has equipped criminals with more knowledge useful in joining, planning, executing, and concealing criminal activities. Some of the investigated aspects include child pornography, cyber crime, weapons use, impersonation, and finally terrorism. The collective conclusions suggest that the internet has enabled criminal activities to be easily executed while disadvantaging maintainers of law and order. Until countermeasures are put in place, the internet remains a major factor of increasing criminal activities. Bibliography AKDENIZ, Yaman. Racism on the Internet. (Strasbourg: Council of Europe Pub, 2009). BOAZ Ganor, KATHARINA von Knop, and CARLOS, Duarte. Hypermedia Seduction for Terrorist Recruiting. (Amsterdam: IOS, 2007). BURKE, Hopkins. An introduction to criminological theory 3rd edition. (Wilan Publications, 2009). CLAYPOOLE, Ted, and THERESA, Payton. Protecting Your Internet Identity: Are You Naked Online? (Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2012). JAISHANKAR K. Cyber Criminology: Exploring Internet Crimes and Criminal Behavior. (CRC Press, 2011). PEPPAS, Lynn, and SYDNEY, Newton. Terrorism Alert! (New York: Crabtree Pub. Co, 2005). United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, “Use of Internet for Terrorist Activities” (United Nations, 2012). WORTLEY, Richard, and STEPHEN Smallbone. Internet Child Pornography: Causes, Investigation, and Prevention. (Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger, 2012). Read More