Technology and crime: two different things linked in so many ways. One might think that with computer forensics, DNA analysis, security cameras, etc. technology prevents crime, but that is not completely true. Technology is advanced and will only continue to develop. Currently, it is clear that the digital world has enabled crime.
Tech-related offences were created or made easier to commit as a result of the same digital inventions we made to catch perpetrators. Interfaces have made it easier for criminals to obtain or provide illegal goods/services anonymously while leaving little evidence, such as the deep web. Such a dangerous site was only made accessible through technology thus enabling crime. While most people cannot access it, it’s a known fact that the selling of illicit items, services and gore is prominent. Crimes that can take place without technology (e.g. the selling of drugs) can still happen with it. It’s even harder to catch people participating in it, as web history can be removed and tracking information can be stopped or changed.
Yes, technology can let us recover and find these things, but it can’t prevent it as of now. Technology has also enabled crime in the form of scams and cyber attacks. According to Embroker.com, cyber attacks are the fifth top-rated risk of potential threats as of 2020, but the risk of this is expected to double by 2025. Cyber attacks can happen to anyone, and data, revenue, reputation and even the whole system functions itself can go down as a result.
While you may argue that security systems are getting better and help prevent these crimes, Ponemon Institute’s State of Cybersecurity Report has said that only 14% of small businesses are prepared to counter the attack. Despite having only around 43% of cyber attacks target them, 66% of small/medium-sized businesses had experienced a cyber attack in the last 12 months as of October 13th 2021. Although this is for small/medium-sized businesses alone in the US, all industries are vulnerable globally, including banks like ANZ.
Cyber attacks can also occur from online scams. With random ads that pop up or weird dating sites, unsuspecting/gullible individuals — especially those with little digital knowledge –- often fall into these traps. While this crime can be stopped, technology allows criminals to do it frequently as they can impersonate trusted companies or use tools to gain people’s contact information with ease. Common scams in NZ include fake investments, someone pretending to help out with an infected computer (in which they hack your device) or romance-related scams. Technology enables this kind of crime by giving these criminals anonymity as they continue to trick people by gaining their trust and using their digital knowledge to seem more authentic. There is no doubt that technology, as beneficial as it is, causes crime. Some of which can be incredibly severe and put our privacy at risk.
While there is supporting evidence around technology generating crime, you could argue from the opposing perspective that it is prevention. CCTV, for example, is a piece of technology created to video the surroundings in its field of view. There is evidence from 6 different studies in the UK, such as SN05624.pdf (parliament.uk), that prove how vehicle theft dropped by 51% from the implementation of CCTV cameras. Although this is a big drop, cameras are typically low resolution and they still have not been proven to prevent all types of crime. While it is a good idea, footage can easily be deleted while cameras can be hacked and broken both physically and in terms of function. Criminals can still work their way around them or dress themselves in a way where identification would be slightly harder but they can still get the job done. Some aren’t even aware where they are placed so people assume they wouldn’t be captured on tape.
Cyber-related crime can also be blocked through security systems. However, there is a chance that hackers can slip through them or find a way to bring them down. Thus technology is not good at crime prevention, it is only helpful at solving the problem after a crime has been committed in the forms of DNA technology, records stored on devices, computer forensics, etc. Since our digital world is crime-enabling we must consider different options to minimize the frequency of these technological offenses. One way is to pay even more attention to security systems' status. Studying common patterns among previous cyber attacks and developing the system in a way that it becomes immune to hackers can also help stop the software from going down.
Another way is to design a stronger ad blocker. Instead of simply not playing certain ads, this kind can detect pop-ups that lead to common viruses like those R18 or ‘prize winner’ sites. It searches for potential threats to the device and keeps them from displaying on the screen so no one clicks on them intentionally or by mistake. The final solution is an official website that not only informs users on current/trending scams but also gives real examples. This means that instead of the name or a short description being explained, we can see how these scams play out for further reference so that when regular users encounter them they can refer back to the page and spot when something is fake. This way is more informative and the application helps spread awareness. A great example of a website that may be of use to our community is Common Online Scams | Be Aware, Be Safe Online | Netsafe. (https://netsafe.org.nz/common-online-scams/)
To conclude, technology enables crime more than it prevents it. Scams, cyber attacks, the deep web and more are only possible due to the creation of electronics. Although this argument may seem trivial, it is crucial in terms of defending ourselves from the violation of personal privacy and data. Our digital security is at stake due to the increasing amount of online crimes. However, such offences may never be 100% prevented as of now so we should continue to advance further in a way that allows us to counter the problems we gave way to develop.