Cyber-crime reading week1.
The Novelty of ‘Cybercrime’ An Assessment in Light of Routine Activity Theory- Majid yar.
A main problem for analysing cybercrime is that due to an absence of a consistent definition,
analysis of the topic can sometimes be difficult however, Thomas and Loader (2000: 3) offer a
definition along those lines stating that cybercrime is “computer-mediated activities which are
either illegal or considered illicit by certain parties and which can be conducted through global
electronic networks”. It can be possible to further classify cybercrime along a number of different
lines, one commonplace approach is to distinguish between ‘computer-assisted crimes’ which
include fraud, theft, and money laundering, and ‘computer focused crimes’ which includes hacking
and viral attacks (Furnell 2002).
David Wall (2001: 3–7) subdivides cybercrime into four established legal categories: Firstly, Cyber-
trespass, which includes crossing boundaries into other people’s property and/or causing damage,
e.g. hacking, defacement, viruses. Second on the list is Cyber-deceptions and thefts, these include
stealing (money, property), e.g. credit card fraud, intellectual property violations (a.k.a. ‘piracy’).
Next there’s Cyber-pornography, this includes activities that breach laws on obscenity and decency.
Finally there’s Cyber-violence, this includes doing psychological harm to, or inciting physical harm
against others, thereby breaching laws pertaining to the protection of the person, e.g. hate speech,
stalking.
Technology can act as a ‘force multiplier’, making it easier for individuals whom are wanting to
commit a criminal offence with limited resources. Just one click can cause major negative
consequences such as leaked confidential computer codes (Yar, 2005). Additionally, the Internet
enables the manipulation and reinvention of social identity where users can completely hide or even
fake who they are, maintaining anonymity through a virtual mask is seen as a powerful weapon
From a criminological perspective.
Routine activity approach is a theory capable of explaining adaptation to cyberspace.
Cyber-crime exhibits a Spatial topology, the presence and absence of individuals in the virtual world
portray marginalities from the real world, which themselves are greatly spatialized. For example,
first world contrasting third world, urban areas in comparison to rural, middle-class rich suburb’
contrasting an urban ghetto. For example 50 percent of Internet domains originate in the United
States, which also accounts for 83 percent of the total web pages viewed by Internet users (Castells
2002).
For routine activity theory, the appropriateness of a potential target (human or otherwise) for
predation can be estimated permitting to its four basic properties – value, inertia, visibility and
accessibility, also known as VIVA (Yar, 2005)
The Novelty of ‘Cybercrime’ An Assessment in Light of Routine Activity Theory- Majid yar.
A main problem for analysing cybercrime is that due to an absence of a consistent definition,
analysis of the topic can sometimes be difficult however, Thomas and Loader (2000: 3) offer a
definition along those lines stating that cybercrime is “computer-mediated activities which are
either illegal or considered illicit by certain parties and which can be conducted through global
electronic networks”. It can be possible to further classify cybercrime along a number of different
lines, one commonplace approach is to distinguish between ‘computer-assisted crimes’ which
include fraud, theft, and money laundering, and ‘computer focused crimes’ which includes hacking
and viral attacks (Furnell 2002).
David Wall (2001: 3–7) subdivides cybercrime into four established legal categories: Firstly, Cyber-
trespass, which includes crossing boundaries into other people’s property and/or causing damage,
e.g. hacking, defacement, viruses. Second on the list is Cyber-deceptions and thefts, these include
stealing (money, property), e.g. credit card fraud, intellectual property violations (a.k.a. ‘piracy’).
Next there’s Cyber-pornography, this includes activities that breach laws on obscenity and decency.
Finally there’s Cyber-violence, this includes doing psychological harm to, or inciting physical harm
against others, thereby breaching laws pertaining to the protection of the person, e.g. hate speech,
stalking.
Technology can act as a ‘force multiplier’, making it easier for individuals whom are wanting to
commit a criminal offence with limited resources. Just one click can cause major negative
consequences such as leaked confidential computer codes (Yar, 2005). Additionally, the Internet
enables the manipulation and reinvention of social identity where users can completely hide or even
fake who they are, maintaining anonymity through a virtual mask is seen as a powerful weapon
From a criminological perspective.
Routine activity approach is a theory capable of explaining adaptation to cyberspace.
Cyber-crime exhibits a Spatial topology, the presence and absence of individuals in the virtual world
portray marginalities from the real world, which themselves are greatly spatialized. For example,
first world contrasting third world, urban areas in comparison to rural, middle-class rich suburb’
contrasting an urban ghetto. For example 50 percent of Internet domains originate in the United
States, which also accounts for 83 percent of the total web pages viewed by Internet users (Castells
2002).
For routine activity theory, the appropriateness of a potential target (human or otherwise) for
predation can be estimated permitting to its four basic properties – value, inertia, visibility and
accessibility, also known as VIVA (Yar, 2005)
