The birth of Internet crime
The birth of the Internet has transformed the world as we know it. It has clearly grown to astronomical proportions since it became a household name in the mid-1990s. If you were born before 1980, you have seen the world go from using rotary phones to iPhones. These days, almost everything can be controlled at the touch of a button.
Bills can be paid online, movie tickets can be purchased online, you can talk to loved ones online, and you can take a full college course, without ever having to set foot on campus. The possibilities of the Internet are endless and technology is changing faster than we can learn to understand it.
Today, teens and twentysomethings are harnessing and exploiting computer technology like never before. Children are already known for their remarkable ability to learn and assimilate information at a very young age: absorbing and using the Internet and computer systems are no different than learning to build a fort in a tree. For some families, their 13-year-old son can build a complete computer system like his father built a model car the previous generation.
With the advent of the Internet, a completely new way of committing crime emerged. The terms Internet crime, cyber crime, and computer crime are used interchangeably. Simply put, Internet crime or cybercrime is a form of crime in which the Internet or computers are used as a means to commit a crime.
Crime on the internet is vast and expansive and can include anything from downloading illegal music files to stealing someone’s identity. Cybercrime can also include the theft of millions of dollars from online bank accounts to distribute child pornography. One of the most common forms of crime on the Internet involves identity theft, which is commonly done through phishing and pharming. These methods create fake (looking legitimate) websites to lure unsuspecting victims. People are asked to provide personal information such as name, address, phone numbers, and bank accounts. The criminals then take this information and “steal” the person’s identity.
Crime on the Internet is not limited to targeting the consumer; Cybercrime has grown to global proportions. Cybercrime can also encompass criminal activities such as espionage, financial theft, and sabotage. In May 2010, the Pentagon established the new US Cyber Command, headed by the director of the National Security Agency (NSA), to defend US military networks. It also serves to attack the computer systems of other countries.
Due to the fact that criminal activities have spread at a rate that law enforcement has struggled to keep up with, entire task forces have been developed to crack down on the Internet and cybercrime. There is a method called electronic discovery, or e-discovery, which is a type of cyber forensic analysis. Electronic discovery is a process used by law enforcement agencies in which they can obtain, protect, search and process any electronic data for use as evidence in a legal investigation. Electronic discovery can involve just one computer or it can incorporate an entire computer network.
When facing cyber crime or internet charges, it is critical that you seek the advice of a highly qualified attorney whom you can trust. When your future is at stake, you need someone who is familiar with both computer technology and the criminal justice system. We recommend that you contact an experienced criminal defense attorney who can help you learn more about the steps you can take to protect your legal rights and your future.