NCJ Number
199525
Editor(s)
Yvonne Jewkes
Date Published
2003
Length
208 pages
Annotation
The 10 chapters of this book examine issues pertinent to the manifestations of and countermeasures for crime and deviance on the Internet.
Abstract
The first chapter notes that the Internet provides opportunities for crime and deviance that are not easily accessible in the non-cyber "real" world, where one's actions and identifying features are much more likely to be observed and reported to others. The Internet, on the other hand, offers anonymity and options for the pursuit of deviant and illegal interests that are not deterred by the usual formal and informal social controls. The second chapter outlines the kinds of crimes commonly committed in cyberspace, as well as the forms of regulation currently used to counter such crimes. The crimes mentioned include child pornography, identity theft, the fueling of hate crimes, the violation of intellectual property rights, and cyber-sabotage in the workplace. Another chapter focuses on the marketing of prostitution on the Internet and reports on a study that analyzed a British Web site in which men review their experiences with individual prostitutes. A number of chapters focus on the opportunities offered on the Internet to pursue and express various sexual desires and identities, not only through pornographic sites but also in chat rooms. Another chapter examines ethical issues that stem from various Web sites that market services for the selling of brides and babies. Remaining chapters address identity theft through the Internet and ways to counter it, cyber-stalking and laws against it in various countries, a comparison of male and female participation in various forms of computer "hacking" through the Internet, how the Internet is used by counterculture social and political movements, and ethical issues involved in research that includes participant observation in Internet chat rooms. 273 references and a subject index