The following post is an expansion on Kristine’s blog in relation to cybercrime.
Firstly, I am hopeless with technology so the sudden obsession with new technologies and social networking is a little overwhelming, but when we add cybercrime to the mix, well that is really quite worrying. Social networking sites such as facebook have become the new place where it is common to post everything and anything about yourself. I’m sure many of us can relate to behaving differently online than we would in reality simple because we have that ‘cyberspace’ barrier. Evidently the perpetrators of cybercrime are ‘faceless’ and therefore difficult to identify. This is concerning as Paedophilia on the internet, specifically termed as ‘cyber obscenity’ (Marsh & Melville, 2009) has gained much media attention, and when individuals are willing to reveal personal information about themselves over the internet it is only understandable why parents are creating their own accounts to ‘stalk’ their kids. The term ‘stalk’ I find has also lost its sensitivity as it has become a common phrase relating to finding people through social media and looking at their information, which I guess could reasonably account to stalking.
The actual extent of paedophilia on the internet is difficult to measure due to the ‘secrecy and anonymity that such behaviour encourages’ (Marsh & Melville, 2009) and there is also a lack of clarity in defining the act. Evidently it is clear that self-regulation and acting responsibly and cautiously over the internet is the simplest way to avoid becoming a victim of cybercrime. Increasingly, education surrounding cybercrime is focused around self-regulation, of understanding the risks and monitoring children’s social networking activity, without being too invasive or ‘stalking’.
American show ‘To Catch a Predator’ is a part of Datelines latest investigation into online sex predators. The show involves an actress posing as a 13 year old, who invites the men into her backyard and offers them a drink. Then the host appears and interviews them and upon leaving the police make the arrest. The show is a confusing blur between entertainment and public display of paedophiles. Does this cross an ethical boundary? Furthermore, along with the broadening definition of crime associated with the development of new technologies, is the increase in types of crime only going to result in more crime related ‘infotainment’ shows?
I.Marsh, G. Melville (2009) Crime, Justice and the Media, Routledge, chap. 7
Interesting post. Yes there certainly is a blurring of the lines when it comes to entertainment!
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