This paper presents a legal ethical and social analysis of Nigeria’s proposal to enforce a death sentence on people who hack into the Critical National Information Infrastructure or computer networks and cause the loss of life (Cybercrime Bill , 2013). The bill submitted to the National Assembly by the President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan is currently under review to be enacted into law by the Senate. The legislation aims to protect the countries national infrastructure from cybercrime by criminalizing various cyber activities. (Goitom, 2014)
The death penalty is already used in Nigeria for other crimes such as murder and armed robbery, in some northern states sexual crimes are punishable by death. (Ikenna, 2007) These type of crimes could be regarded as being violent crimes in that they directly kill or threaten the life of other individuals. (Felson, 2009) Cybercrime however is an interaction with computers and technology and not directly with other individuals in society, although it is still a serious crime, it is the author’s opinion that in most cases it is not a violent act that is pre meditated with intention to kill or harm. Can hacking government infrastructure or computer networks to gain access to the information contained within be classed as a motive to murder someone? Is there then a moral obligation of Nigerian society to stand against this Bill and challenge the government not to proceed and enact this bill into law?
Constitution and Legal System of Nigeria
The laws that make up Nigeria’s constitution are Islamic Law, Common Law and Customary Law, these laws are also heavily influenced by English Law due to the colonization of Nigeria by the British State. (Chinwe, 2011) Nigeria’s complex legal system consists ...
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Our generation is the first to travel within cyberspace, a virtual world that exists with all the computers that form the global network. For most people today, cyberspace is still a bewildering and alien place. How computers work and how they affect our lives is still a mystery to all but the experts, but expertise doesn't necessarily guarantee morality. Originally the word hacker meant computer enthusiasts but now that the internet has revealed its potential for destruction and profit the hacker has become the outlaw of cyberspace. Not only do hackers commit crimes that cost millions of dollars, they also publicize their illegal techniques on the net where innocent minds can find them and be seduced by the allure of power and money.
Australia is dependent on technology, everything from state security, economics and information collaboration is more accessible resulting in an increased reliance on digital networks. The rapid increase in cyber activity has a symbiotic relationship with cyber crime. The evolving nature of cyber crimes are constantly leaving counter measures obsolete in the face of these new technologies. Australia takes insufficient action against cyber crime, inaction is based on Australia’s previous focus on counter-terrorism. This study will use the Australia’s National Security Strategy 2013 to show the increasing trend towards cyber security. Unfortunately the Australia Government is lacking in the presence of this growing phenomenon. Recently cyber crimes including attacks from Anonymous and Wiki-leaks prove that no network is completely secure. This study will conclude that the exponential growth of the Internet has resulted in an inability to properly manage regardless of the governmental strategies being implemented.
Future Crimes is a gripping book about the plethora of risks that encompass cybersecurity based crimes; Future Crimes delivers a staggering glimpse into the dark side of technological innovation and addresses the inadvertent consequences of our connected world. Future Crimes is written by one of the world’s leading authorities on global security, Marc Goodman. “Marc Goodman is a global strategist, author, and consultant focused on the disruptive impact of advancing technologies on security, business, and international affairs. Over the past twenty years, he has built his expertise in next generation security threats such as cybercrime, cyber-terrorism, and information warfare working with organizations such as Interpol, the United Nations,
The documentary Rise of the Hackers, focuses on the rising criminal use of hacking and how it is effecting multiple areas of technology. The documentary describes simple and complicated situations concerning hacking, but there still questions that must be answered when it comes to hacking and crime. The main question is in trying to determine why a person would choose to commit computer hacking. There are various theories already present within the criminal justice system that may explain at a micro-level and macro-level. These theories would explain why offenders would commit the crimes, but it may not answer the full scope of the question. The Routine Activities Theory would help to explain why offenders offend, why victims are victimized,
Technology has opened new encounters and opportunities for the criminal justice system. There are so many new practices of criminal activity, such as computer crimes. There are different types of computer crimes that many people become victims of every day. Computer crime is any crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target ("Computer Crime: Chapter 2: What Are the Crimes?", n.d.). Crimes such as data diddling, pump and dump, social engineering and spoofing are computer crimes. Even though these crimes are difficult by privacy issues, the new technology has made investigations and prosecutions well organized and effective. Though views are different on the pros and cons of specific technological changes in the criminal justice system, there is an agreement the system has changed affectedly ("Effects of Technology in Criminal Justice | eHow", n.d.).
The use of hacking to identify weaknesses in computer security has become an increasingly controversial issue in recent years. Awareness of this issue is important, because our ever increasing reliance on technology means that breaches in computer security have the potential to have wide-ranging and devastating consequences to society, worldwide. This essay will begin by clearly defining the term ‘hacking’ and will examine the type of people who hack and for what reasons. There will then follow a discussion of the moral argument on hacking before examining a few brief examples. The essay will then conclude by arguing against the use of hacking as a means of identifying weaknesses in computer security.
There is as much difference between them as there is between Germans, English, Russians and Turks for instance. The fact that they have a common overlord does not destroy this fundamental difference.” in these diversity lies great insight as to the reason for the rapid changes in Nigeria post colonialism, when the fear of Britain as well as its institutions were no longer in
A cyber-crime is an illegal activity that takes place on the computer or internet (Williams). Before the internet was invented criminals were stealing information from the computers committing data theft (VPN). The first major cyber-crime was in the 80s, criminals would send a lot of scams to the inbox of emails (VPN). Most of the scams included a desperate story hoping that someone would feel bad for them and send them money or they asked for bank card numbers in order to send them some money. Shortly after is when Congress passed a bill making it illegal (VPN). In the 90s the major cyber-crime was viruses (VPN). Viruses were sent through various websites and once opened the virus puts copies of itself into the computer without the owner knowing (Williams). Once the virus makes copies it slows the computer down, sends pop-ups to the computer screen, and can even shut the computer down (Williams). When social media became essential in the 2000s identity theft became a problem (VPN). People upload all of their information to their accounts giving all of the criminals’ easy access to all personal information (VPN). Every day someone makes a new Facebook profile of someone to scam them and steal information from their friends. Cybercrimes
In today's society, many aspects of crime are committed on a regular basis. Civilians take advantage of people all the time using online resources such as fraudulent websites requiring credit card information to get a free monthly trial. Other examples of cyber crimes include online chat websites, full of predators, or websites needing a downloadable program that contains a hacking virus. Sadly, there are many cases of cyber crime all over the internet. The acts of cyber crimes are considered violent acts like any other.
The Internet is a connection of computers across the world through a network. Its origin dates back to the 1960s when the U.S Military used it for research, but it became more available to the public from the late 1980s. The World Wide Web was created in 1989 and browsers began appearing in the early 1990s. Over the last 24 years, the Internet has enabled people to shop, play, do research, communicate and conduct business online. It has also become cheaper and faster in performing different tasks. As much as the Internet has done immeasurable good to society, it has also dominated people’s lives and brought with it an array of cybercrimes. According to Nicholas Carr in his book The Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the Way we Think, Read and Remember (Carr, 2010). He debates on whether the Internet has done more harm than good. People use the Internet daily to exchange accurate information and constantly personal data such as credit cards, passwords and Social Security numbers are travelling through the network from one computer to another. With security measures put in place on the Internet, personal information remains confidential. But unfortunately, criminals have adapted to innovations in technology, and today, more people are increasingly becoming victims of cybercrime. The Internet has had profound effects on the public, both positive and negative. In this paper we will examine how access to personal information has led to an increase in online and offline crimes. The essay will particularly focus on ecommerce and hacking.
While the outside world considered Nigeria to be a united and monolithic entity, even the British colonial administration was wary of the reality of Nigerian politics; the nation was not so much a “country” as it was more than three hundred different groups coalesced into one.4 5 These tribes were divided between three main spheres of influence: the Yoruba, the Igbo, and the Hausa. Historically, their interests were often opposed, and their cultures did not come into regular contact with one another until the British occupation. In spite of the differences British administration a...
An ethical hacker is usually employed by an organization who trusts him or her to attempt to penetrate networks and/or computer systems, using the same methods as a hacker, for the purpose of finding and fixing computer security vulnerabilities. Unauthorized hacking (i.e., gaining access to computer systems without prior authorization from the owner) is a crime in most countries, but penetration testing done by request of the owner of the victim system(s) or network(s) is not.
Millions of people around the world use computers and the internet every day. We all use it in school, work even at home, computers have made us life easier, it has brought so many benefits to the society but it has also brought some problems and cybercrimes is one of them. “The times have really changed,” said Greg Garcia, the department’s assistant secretary for cyber security and communications. “We’re seeing now phishing, farming, botnets … war dialing and domain server spoofing. And we’re seeing coordinated cyber-attacks against nation states.” (Fowler 5) Cybercrime is one of the most prevalent and most popular rising crimes being committed today. This is criminal activity done using computers and the Internet. There are millions victims around the world everyday who face these problems. Most people become victims of these at one time or another, but there are ways to avoid or deal with cybercrime by protecting yourself appropriately. I also was one of those victims who faced a similar problem. This unfortunate truth forces me to understand that computers and the Internet have made our lives easier in many ways. However, it is unfortunate that people also use these technologies to take advantage of others through identity theft, hacking attempts, and malicious use of software.
The Nigerian legal system is very complex as it is broken down into three different sub-systems. These subsystems are located at the Federal level, state level, and local customs. On the Federal level, there is a general federal legal system that is applicable throughout the whole country and is considered the highest law making body. It is called the National Assembly and consists of...
Cybercrime is a global issue plaguing the world. The dictionary defines cybercrime as “crime conducted via the Internet or some other computer network”(Merriam-Webster). The definition remains very broad because the word “cyber” is defined as “relating to the culture of computers, information technology, and virtual reality.” Due to the growing number of people gaining access to the internet, rapid development of technology, and the globalization of the world, more of the world population is becoming susceptible to involvement in cybercrime – whether it be as a victim or a criminal. Cybercrime involves different levels of the world on both the victim and criminal side, from an individual citizen, to small groups, businesses, and the government, to the countries of the world.