NCJ Number
196219
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 44 Issue: 3 Dated: July 2002 Pages: 243-254
Date Published
July 2002
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This article discusses policing cyberspace and investigating online crimes.
Abstract
The "magic box" perception of computer technology may offer an explanation for the reluctance of many local police agencies in pursuing online crimes. Historically, the nature of policing has been tied to spatial arrangements. Policing involves the oversight of carefully defined physical territories. These are defined by public and private domains and police jurisdictions. Difficulties result when attempts are made to apply a physically grounded conception of territory to cyberspace, which is perceived as non-physical. The abstract nature of cyberspace is frequently perceived as being different because they are believed to be unlike “ordinary” physical objects that can be seen, touched, and experienced directly. The Internet has meant that, in a policing sense, evidence of crime has to be acquired from what people see or where information has been recorded in some way. The Internet facilitates criminal activity by serving as a vehicle for existing activities, and creating an environment that has facilitated new types of activities that are free of traditional and terrestrial constraints. The variety of ways that electronic data can be stored has enabled investigators to investigate computer-related crimes successfully. Online chat rooms are more problematic because chat room owners don’t always monitor and back up chat data. The complicated nature of policing a global system that has no respect for police jurisdictions is also an issue. Some police officers perceive cyberspace as requiring them to learn to operate in a way that is fundamentally different from their usual means of maintaining order. There is nothing problematic about online policing that should prevent local departments from adopting Internet policing programs. Basic education about computers and telecommunications will easily resolve any doubts. The culture of policing should take advantage of the opportunities that this technology has to offer. 6 notes, 17 references