Mentor/s
Professor Jennifer Trudeau-Tham Professor David Thomson
Participation Type
Paper Talk
Abstract
One of the most neglected fields of modern day crime in terms of legislation is that of cybercrime, which has been expanding in both popularity and capability in recent years. Currently, cybercrime is prosecuted using pre-existing legislation, however there are a multitude of factors that differentiate cybercrime as a distinct subsect of crime. These differences include the uniquely developed psychology of computer users, the primarily independent financial motivation of the crimes, and the lack of specific legislation regarding cybercrime. Even though writing new legislation may not appear to be an incredibly challenging feat, a negative public opinion, the technological understanding required to combat these crimes, and the uniqueness of the digital environment itself are all factors that currently inhibit the development of new legislation. Looking at these challenges, and the fact that crimes that occur within cyberspace are often comparable to crimes seen offline, it may seem that cybercrime can be regulated using current legislation that is not designed for cybercrime. However, considering that the nature of cybercrimes and psychological state of cybercriminals differs substantially from that of traditional criminals, an improvement in cybercrime legislation based on these factors is essential.
College and Major available
Computer Science BS, Cybersecurity
Location
Session 1: Digital Commons & Martire Room 126
Start Day/Time
4-26-2023 2:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-26-2023 3:15 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Prize Categories
Best Multidisciplinary Research or Collaboration, Most Scholarly Impact or Potential, Most Creative
Legislating Cybercrime: Why Stronger Legislation is Required Considering the Psychology of Computer Users
Session 1: Digital Commons & Martire Room 126
One of the most neglected fields of modern day crime in terms of legislation is that of cybercrime, which has been expanding in both popularity and capability in recent years. Currently, cybercrime is prosecuted using pre-existing legislation, however there are a multitude of factors that differentiate cybercrime as a distinct subsect of crime. These differences include the uniquely developed psychology of computer users, the primarily independent financial motivation of the crimes, and the lack of specific legislation regarding cybercrime. Even though writing new legislation may not appear to be an incredibly challenging feat, a negative public opinion, the technological understanding required to combat these crimes, and the uniqueness of the digital environment itself are all factors that currently inhibit the development of new legislation. Looking at these challenges, and the fact that crimes that occur within cyberspace are often comparable to crimes seen offline, it may seem that cybercrime can be regulated using current legislation that is not designed for cybercrime. However, considering that the nature of cybercrimes and psychological state of cybercriminals differs substantially from that of traditional criminals, an improvement in cybercrime legislation based on these factors is essential.
Students' Information
Danielle LeBlanc- Cybersecurity and Computer Science double major in the Honors program graduating in 2024