1. Topic 7: Crime and the Media: global cyber crime
Cyber-crime is one of the fastest-growing criminal activities on the planet.
Cybercrime is defined by British police as the use of any global computer network for crime
Thomas &Loader define it as computer-mediated activities that are either illegal or considered illegal by some and
that are conducted through global electronic networks
High-tech criminals of the digital age have not been slow to spot the new opportunities, not least because well over
half the world now have access to the internet.
David Wall (2001) identifies 4 categories of cyber-crime:
1 Cyber-trespass
2 Cyber-deception and theft
3 Cyber-pornography
4 Cyber-violence
TASK 1 categorising cyber crime
Slot the cyber crimes you have thought up into Wall’s 4-fold classification. If any don’t seem to fit put them in the
‘OTHER FORMS’ category
Category of Cyber Crime (Wall)
Examples
1 Cyber-trespass
2 Cyber-deception and theft
3 Cyber-pornography
4 Cyber-violence
OTHER FORMS (which don’t seem
to fit Wall’s classification system)
TASK 2 policing cyber crime
Policing and controlling cyber crime has proved to be extremely challenging. Can you think of any reasons why?
Make a note of them below