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Information Theft
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About
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On the Importance of Computer Crime
Computer crime is an issue rapidly increasing in size as computers
become more widespread and interconnected. One reason computer crime
seems so important is because it can involve the displacement of large
amounts of money virtually instantaneously, simply because so many
records exist only or primarily on computers. However, this is again
too narrow a view of the effects of computer crime. As we define
computer crime to be any crime in which the computer is the primary
factor, we see that not only our money, but also our children and our
privacy are at risk. Recently, a radical anti-abortionist web site was
found guilty of threatening the life of doctors who performed abortions
["$100 Million Verdict"
1-2].
This constitutes a new way of using
computers to commit a crime that falls outside of many older
definitions, but it is clearly an activity that is extremely important
to prevent in the future.
Computer Crime Is Connected to Everything
A large - and increasing - percentage of the population of the United
States and other developed countries is now online. Many businesses
use computers heavily in day-to-day routines. The recent recovery of
science fiction in the media reflects how these changes impact our
culture. Computer crime is even related to most other major issues in
computer news nowadays: intellectual property rights, child
pornography, and privacy issues.
A Note on Our Focus
Anecdotal evidence shows that fraud,
unauthorized access, child pornography, and related crimes make up the
majority of computer crime, and these all fall within our definition.
In this web site, however, we focus primarily on
the first two components of computer crime. This is because child
pornography is fairly different from the other two components in terms
of its effects. The effects of the first two components are largely
material in nature, whereas child pornography is a more humanistic
concern. We do not imply that child pornography is therefore less
important or is not computer crime. Rather, we simply narrow our
focus in order to produce a more detailed picture of computer fraud
and breakins. However, we still offer some information on child
pornography, and we encourage those interested in the subject to
examine the following web page, an excellent source of information on
child pornography and preventative measures:
Safeguarding Our
Childrem - United Mothers (SOC-UM)
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