Crimes of the Future

Over the past 10 years, crime has been moving away from stealing physical goods, towards obtaining information. First the means of robbery changed to keep up with an age where people carry identity information in the form of credit cards and ATM cards instead of cash. However, these are just the modern equivalents to common mugging.

Recently though, whole new information markets have opened up as playing fields for computer criminals. Much of the internet economy revolves around advertising. And much of this advertising is targeted by using databases of personal information. This information is extremely valuable, and could be stolen, and a black market of information created. Information such as medical records, HIV test results, grocery purchase histories, and personal emails could all be stolen and sold to advertisers and other information-based companies. This could lead to anything from annoying marketing ploys to illegal discrimination in the job market.

Meanwhile, other possible malicious uses of computers have become available. One of the most worrying is the likelihood of terrorists moving online, and engaging in what is called cyber-terrorism. These methods of producing terror, destruction, mayhem, and fear can be much more destructive online than conventional methods in the real world.