Have you read in the local media about a fake social media account targeting drivers to pay traffic fines? Perhaps. Social media has become a haven for criminals, mainly because of its allure of anonymity and virtual interaction. Experts predict that cybercrime will get worse and become more sophisticated.
Criminals show themselves to be innovative, opportunistic, determined, and resourceful. Individuals motivated by ego, notoriety, and money are exploiting opportunities created by digitalisation and people’s increased online activity.
Individuals and social institutions’ relationships nowadays are shaped by software and hardware devices in a hybrid interaction created between humans and technologies. It is in this line of thought that the researcher Debora Lupton addresses her work in digital sociology, titled Life is Digital.
Lupton sees that this fusion of actors is having a significant impact on the criminal world, as new social facts, new habits, new digital identities, new systems for information gathering, new crimes, and new ways to combat crime also emerge. Just as modern technology has expanded the ability of businesses to reach larger and more profitable markets, the same is true for other types of fraud that previously used traditional means of communication, such as mail and telephone calls.
The digital society moves fast. It is changing people’s behaviours and creating opportunities for organised online and offline crime. The hacking wargame is an eye-opener. Ultimately, criminologists will need to enter the realm of the digital sociology of crime. Digital sociology emerged as a response to the question of how the interaction of data, people, and technologies transforms ways of knowing society. Data-mining is a gold mine!
Keeping in mind that social media is more than just a place for crime and virtual justice – shaming and acts of humiliation- everything from online abuse to misogyny to potential money making, identity theft, cyberstalking, and social and psychological manipulation are all common offenses. Ghosting is considered passive-aggressive, and it may even constitute emotional abuse. Delinquent behaviour online is in danger of becoming normalised.
Would orbiting be considered an offense? Orbiting is when a person is no longer part of your life but still appears in your social media world – close enough to see each other but far enough to never talk. Why do people orbit each other? The literature points out that orbiting is something hard for people not to do! With people interacting so much on social media, orbiting becomes automatic. However, each situation is different; it can just be plain curiosity.
Again, anonymity and surveillance can lead to more serious offenses and crimes. According to the INTERPOL 2022 Global Crime Trend Report, illicit trafficking (drug trafficking and human trafficking), organized crime, financial crime and corruption, cybercrime, and terrorism are the five broad crime areas that dominate the global threat landscape.
The most basic crimes carried out over the Internet are stealing credit card information, hacking into government websites, theft of users’ private information on internet accounts, taking advantage of existing software vulnerabilities, sending authentic-looking fraudulent emails to users in an organisation, and tricking them into performing actions such as downloading attachments or clicking on links.
Other common examples of cybercrime include the sale of illegal items, such as drugs, weapons, or counterfeit goods; illegal gambling; solicitation; and production, distribution, or possession of child pornography. Criminals have already been selling digital fingerprints. These offenses tend to be carried out on the dark web with the use of VPNs and encrypted communication services.
To better understand and respond to crimes in the digital society, criminology requires the interdisciplinary perspectives of science, technology, politics, cultural studies, as well as media and communications.
People with limited knowledge of criminal activities conducted over the Internet are considered more vulnerable; many are unaware they are victims. It is time to start the conversation.
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