Internet Crime and Moral Responsibility

I as well came across this as I researched about child porn, the “CPPA defined child pornography as: Any visual depiction, including any photography, film, video, picture or computer-generated image or picture of sexually explicit conduct, where the production of such visual depiction is, or, appears to be, of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; such visual depiction has been created, adapted, or modified to appear that an identifiable minor is engaging in sexually explicit conduct; or such visual depiction is advertised, promoted, presented, described, or distributed in such a manner that conveys the impression that the material is or contains a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.” This to me is sickening and for a person to be able to go online and click in the search box and google or search in what even search engine they may use and type child porn and can bare themselves to sit there and watch this is a very heartless person.

Just in the last decade, there has been a 29% increase in crimes committed against residents and a 22% increase for business losses due to online crimes (Meyer). Another large issue with technology is that they monitor an individualś every move, for example, a phone company, AT&T, was monitoring their customers phones to be able to “use your individual Web browsing information, like the search terms you enter and the Web pages you visit, to tailor ads and offers to your interests” (Silverman 282). Although the increase in such crimes can potentially cause many issues and obstacles for an individual, they do not physically harm anyone. Such crimes as internet fraud and any other crime that can be committed online, are all fixable and can be prevented. There are security systems that can help protect against frauds and prevent any more from occurring, which makes this issue much less crucial to stop. It is also possible to contact police and bankers to stop this from occurring and they can help you regain all of your losses. The government also has the NSA, the National Security Agency, to monitor all internet movements, which helps stop many of these issues. New technology has helped prevent an immense amount of street crimes, that without the internet, would have only continued to rise, while millions of people would have continued to be murdered.

The type of internet crimes that are of concern are computer hacking and paedophilia. Hacking involves crimes like id theft, credit card fraud or “the unauthorised access and subsequent use of other people‟s computer systems.” (Taylor, 1999, p6 cited in Hennessey, 2008, 169). Accessing others computers to plant Virus and Trojans has largely become more common with the advancement in the internet. “In 1998 the FBI reported that computer intrusion incidents had increased 250% over a two year period (Lilley, 2002, p32 cited in Hennessey, 2009, p169) and subsequent studies reveal a continued upsurge in

According with the U.S Bureau Census the national statistics for computer ownership in the U.S. in 2013 reached the 83.8% of households while the internet usage reached 74.4% of them, regardless of age; income; educational attainment and race or gender. In addition to that, from the 116,291 households surveyed; 73, 371 householders where between the ages of 0- 17 and around 92.1% of computer owners and 77.7% of internet users oscillated among the 15-34 years. Reason why during the last decade pornography turned out to be easily available and abundant mainly though Internet (Braun-Courville & Rojas, 2009). The above data expose how everyday internet pornography get closer to our underage teens and children all around the nation and without distinction.

According to federal law, child pornography refers to any kind of visual depiction that displays sexually explicit conduct that involves individuals who are under the age of 18.

According to the United States Justice Department, it estimates that 300,000 American youth are currently at risk for becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation (The Demand Project). Also, the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children reports, suggest that at least 100,00 American children a year are victimized through child sexual exploitation (The Demand Project). This is why cyber security is such a huge concern in Homeland Security.

Child Pornography: The representation of children performing real or simulated sexual acts for the sexual gratification of the user.

All I wanted to do was shop for new shoes online, but instead I was staring at a webpage packed with lewd photographs. I was only 14. I certainly was not looking to be directed to such a vulgar website; however, much to my dismay, I had simply mistyped the URL to a popular sporting goods store and found myself face-to-face with something I was much too young to see. Unfortunately, this happens all too often. A staggering amount of young children are accessing pornographic material online, whether they want to or not. In this day in age where just about everything is regulated in one fashion or another, many are calling for the censorship of Internet pornography. While some say it is a necessity when it comes to the industry, others

Child pornography includes pictures or videos that present children being sexually abused. Child sexual abuse is defined as “any act, by an adult, involving a child under the age of 15 years in sexual activity (Richards 2011, p. 1).” It tends to refer to a broad range of actions including touching, various types of penetration, and actions that do not involve touching such as exhibition and voyeurism (Richards 2011). Child pornography is defined as “any depiction of a child engaging in sexual acts” and a child is anyone under a given age, which can range from 16-18 years (Berlin & Sawyer 2012). This is a more general definition, but the definition may be a little different depending on which country a person is in. This is part of what makes child pornography offenses difficult to study online (Samenow 2012). Child pornography is a big deal because vulnerable children need to be protected from exploitation by adults (Berlin & Sawyer 2012).

The Internet is a method of communication and a source of information that is becoming popular among those who are interested in the information superhighway. The problem with this world we know as Cyberspace, the ‘Net, or the Web is that some of this information, including pornographical material and hate literature, is being accessible to minors.

The internet is an ever-evolving platform that more and more people use everyday. Being so adaptable and ambiguous, people take advantage of the internet for productivity, information, and entertainment. While others take a darker turn, and take advantage of people and exploit their lack of knowledge, or commit crimes by taking advantage of the ambiguous nature of the internet. The internet though it may be misused is a key factor in the daily lives for billions of people around the world, and should remain uncensored, for the entirety of its lifespan.

The Internet today is constantly advancing and expanding. Over the last several years it has changed the way that we learn, communicate, shop and conduct business. Although there are many advantages to the Internet, there are also many serious problems that occur with Internet use. Some of the problems of the Internet include, cyberstalking and identity theft and Internet addiction. Although the Internet cannot be blamed for the creation of these problems, using the Internet as a tool has made these problems bigger.

With the advancement of technology come the advanced criminals. The internet has become one of the biggest tools for criminals by making it easier to commit some of the oldest crimes such as theft, extortion, and money laundering. The criminal does not have to be present to commit crime; this means there is a broader area to find victims. They can interact

The internet and other communications technologies are promoting progress in almost every attribute of society and all over the world. For instance, supporting trade, bettering education and health care, fostering participating in democracy in the United States and abroad, and enabling communications among family and friends, whether in the neighborhood or around the globe. Regrettably, may of the qualities of this technology, low cost, ease of use, and anonymous nature, among others, make it an appealing medium for fraudulent scams, child sexual exploitation, and increasingly, a new concern referred as cyberstalking.

In the digital age, there has been an unprecedented growth in both the use and dependency on internet, particularly among children populace. Whereas increased use of information technology by children has some positive dimensions, there is a glaring flipside, the concern over growing child abuse cases on the Internet. Reliable statistics point that India is home to 19% of World’s children and the production and distribution of child abuse images has become a rampant problem in India. According to a 2007 study conducted by Ministry of Women and Child Welfare in India, wherein over 12,000 children were studied for child abuse, 4.4% of them were found to have been victims of child pornography. Children face a number of threats in the online world, including cyberbullying, sexual harassment, cyber grooming, sexting, phishing, photo morphing, identity thefts, amongst other cybercrimes. In India, while the Information Technology Act,2000 (IT Act) and the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act,2012 (POCSO Act)are special legislations that declare certain illegal acts directed at children online as punishable offences, the existing statutes fail to define many of such offences and/or address other emerging cybercrimes targeting children for sexual abuse. For example,