The internet as we all know is probably the most useful resource known to man in this day of age. Not only is the internet easy to access its easy to use. Nearly everyone owns a computer and nearly all of which have access to the internet. But isn't that a good thing? Millions of people having the ability to access and share all the information anybody could ever want.
The internet can be used for a number of things such as:
Research
Finding and or sharing information
Sending messages to friends or family
Chatting to people
Playing games and killing time
And much more
But can having this kind of power be a bad thing. I believe that in some cases it is and the internet can be highly dangerous if it is abused or used in the wrong hands. This is because the internet as much of a benefit it may be does have the potential to put other people at risk for anything from physical to psychological harm. People can use the internet to perform illegal activities such as:
Cyberstalking
ID theft
Fraud
White-collar fraud
Phishing
Spam
Pornography
Piracy
Creation of illegal objects or substances
Even though the internet leaves innocent people a potential victim for these crimes I think that having the internet and the advantages it brings is most certainly worth the risk. Some people may not agree as people can be robbed of their money or even killed with children as predominant targets. But what are these crimes and how can this affect me.
What is Cyberstalking?:
According to Wikipedia.com cyberstalking is the act of stalking someone via the means of electronic devices. This incudes online threatening and or harassing behaviour that an individual engages in repeatedly. This is in most cases potentially dangerous only if someone manages to get a hold of your email address otherwise this form of harassment isn't really that much of a problem . If someone is harassing you in a chat room simply leave. I don't believe this crime is a big problem amongst us today. Although some people may be left in uncomfortable situations and in a worried state of mind that this person may eventually catch up with you in the long run.
What is ID Theft?:
Identity theft according to Wikipedia.com is the deliberate assumption of another person's identity, usually to gain access to their finances or frame them for a crime. Less commonly, it is to enable illegal immigration, terrorism, espionage, or changing identity permanently.
The National Conference of State Legislatures (2013) defines Cyber stalking as the use of the internet, email or other electronic communications to stalk. It generally refers to a pattern of threatening behaviors or malicious intent. The NCSL considered it the most dangerous of cyber harassments. According to the Louisiana statute, Cyberstalking is the actions of any person to perform the following:
I immensely agree with Coben because there is so many dangers that the internet has to offer that we don't know about. In the article, “As Kids Go Online, New Tools For Parents To Spy” a child who has a love for sports was watching the game on YouTube and an advertisement pops up and shows a man smoking, and a woman dancing provocatively. Your child may be searching innocent and kid-friendly videos, but the ads are not as kid-friendly as your child’s search history. This situation was merely a rough experience because there are many other situations where it is way worse. On the internet, there are stalkers, impersonators, scammers, and so much more. Criminals also create innocent looking websites and communicate through that using keywords to notify each other. The internet can expose your home to many online dangers such as “Pedophiles” or “Beheadings”. The internet is a source for everyone which makes it a danger to everyone as
The whole world is connected by technology. Over time, technology has advanced from payphones and typewriters to cellphones and computers. The progression from a gray-screened cellular device to an advanced smartphone allows easier accessibility. So the question is whether or not the Internet or online technology is affecting the way we read long texts. In my opinion, I agree with Nicholas Carr, who states that "our hyperactive online habits are damaging the mental faculties we need to process and understand lengthy textual information.”
The crime of Identity theft, or identity fraud as it is more appropriately called, occurs when an imposter obtains pieces of personal information used to identify a person- such as a name, address, social security number, credit card information etc. - and uses it to his advantage. A criminal with this information can commit financial fraud, or
The computer has had a tremendous impact on society as we know it. It gives a voice to those who cannot speak and those who cannot breathe on their own receive mechanically computerized help. The computer has given us many wonderful things used for wonderful purposes, but there are vast ways in which these things have been misused by our people. One of these things is the internet and a common way it is misused is by way of plagiarism.
However, one of the many negative effects of this growing technology is cyberstalking. Cyberstalking is a form of harassment that happens over email and other social networks. Naomi Harlin Goodno acritical, “Cyberstalking, a New Crime: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Current State and Federal Laws,” touches on cyberstalking and briefly on offline stalking. While a new crime cyberstalking and offline stalking has become a massive problem as stated by Goodno, “Legislatures recognized the need to stop stalkers before the stalking developed "into a more serious threat to a victim 's personal safety." Cyberstalking might even be worse than regular stalking because the harassment never stopes and in most cases it might even provoke a third party harassment. An example of this, is the case of a twenty-eight-year-old women being harassed by a fifty-year old man, whom used various internet chat rooms to impersonate her and giving out her personal information stating that she allegedly fantasized of being raped; thus leading to different occasions where different men knocked on her door saying they wanted to rape her (Goodno). According to Goodno, “…the Internet makes many of the frightening characteristics of offline stalking even more intense. It provides cyberstalkers with twenty-four-hour access, instantaneous connection, efficient and repetitious action, and anonymity.” Due to differences on cyberstalking and offline stalking it makes current laws somewhat inadequate to deal with the different aspects of cyberstalking
Cyberstalking is the act of “using the Internet to harass, threaten, or intimidate another person” according to Chuck Easttom (2012). The following provides a synopsis of five recent cases where people have been convicted of cyberstalking or Internet fraud. Each case is analyzed for its relevance in contemporary legal issues, as well as any laws that pertain to the case.
Identity theft refers to unlawful activities which specifically compromise another person’s identity. According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), identity theft is an activity “in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain.” Such personal data can include names, Social Security numbers, birthdates, bank accounts, credit card numbers, or medical records. Identity theft can also be part of or enable other types of crimes such as bank, credit card, document, employment, or immigration fraud; robbery; and burglary, for example (Finklea, 2010, p. 2). Identity theft exists on a continuum with simple unauthorized credit card charges on one end all the way to having one’s identity completely assumed by another.
I remember the first time I sat on a computer; it was an IBM with a windows 98 installed. We didn’t have Internet connection at the time, and we mainly used our computer for work. The Internet has been around for almost half a century, it has helped us humans communicate easier, get around the world accessibly and exchange goods and services effortlessly. The Internet helped us facilitate a lot of tasks; in the past we had to do a lot of work to get something we needed. Nowadays all of what we can possibly want can be done with a click of a button. The Internet can enhance some of our cognitive abilities; understand thoroughly what we want to know, new concepts and different ways of acquiring knowledge and eventually sharpen our brains to live better.
First, the internet has put many lives in danger from kids, to adults. The internet is a place where many killers hide themselves in. Many adults and teenagers never know who is hiding behind the internet. Many people chat on the internet to meet someone but
The world has become increasingly run by technology. Technology has benefited society and prompted new methods of research and development. Even with its many benefits, the use of technology has led to the growth of cybercrime. Cybercrime is one of the fastest types of growing crime (Anderson, 2013). With the continued growth of the technology industry, the crime rate will continue to skyrocket (Ellyatt, 2013).
These types of crimes have become a matter of importance for the consumers as well the business firms because it involves large eviction of the amount in terms of money. In these types of crimes, computer and Internet are the primary factor (Spinello, 2000). A high percentage of population is using computers in the Australia, United States as well as other developed nations. These people are much more connected with the world by the use of internet. They are using the computer for fun, business, e-commerce, e-marketing, etc.; thus, it has become an essential part of life and daily routine (Wall, 2008).
Identity theft is when "someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in a way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain" ("Identity Theft."). The reason in which identity theft is remarkably prevalent is because personal data is incredibly easy to obtain. Anyone is isn't terrifically cautious, verging on infeasibly vigilant could have their identity stolen.
Identity theft is a crime where an imposter gets his or her hands on personal information in order to impersonate someone else. Findings show that an estimated 11.3 million people are victims of identity theft (Taylor, C. 2014). Once the impersonator gets their hands on this information, it can be used to obtain credit, merchandise or any other objects in the name of that individual. An imposter could provide false information to police, leaving behind a criminal record or outstanding arrest warrants for the person whose identity has been stolen. Identity theft can be categorized in two ways: true name and account takeover. True name identity theft means the thief will use the personal information they stole to open new accounts. The thief could open a new credit card account, establish cellular phone service, or open a new checking account in order to get blank checks. Account takeover identity theft means the thief uses personal information to gain access to the person's existing accounts. That individual ends up changing the mailing address on an account and they can run up a huge bill before the person whose identity has been stolen realizes there is a problem. With technology expansion, the Internet has definitely made it easier for an identity thief to use the information they've stolen because transactions can be made without having any personal interaction (Mathews, R. 2013).
The internet has come along way since its birth back in 1969, from its start as a government network to the everyday life; it has proven to be one of the greatest inventions ever discovered. It has helped many people with an array of task ranging from everyday government usage, and personal web pages to the ever so expanding horizons of technology still being produced today. Between the good and the bad, the internet has improved the way of life, and will continue to improve throughout time.