This book is about the human factor in cybercrime: its offenders, victims and parties involved in tackling cybercrime. It takes a diverse international perspective of the response to and prevention of cybercrime by seeking to understand not just the technological, but the human decision-making involved. This edited volume represents the state of the art of research on the human factor in cybercrime, addressing its victims, offenders, and policing. It originated at the Second annual Conference on the Human Factor in Cybercrime, held in The Netherlands in October 2019, bringing together empirical research from a variety of disciplines, and theoretical and methodological approaches. This volume will be of particular interest to researchers and students in cybercrime and the psychology of cybercrime, as well as policy makers and law enforcement interested in prevention and detection.

Social psychology is the scientific study of how the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, and implied presence of others. In this definition, scientific refers to the empirical investigation using the scientific method, while the terms thoughts, feelings, and behaviors refer to the psychological variables that can be measured in humans. Moreover, the notion that the presence of others may be imagined or implied suggests that humans are malleable to social influences even when alone, such as when watching videos or quietly appreciating art. In such situations, people can be influenced to follow internalized cultural norms. Social psychology deals with social influence, social perception, and social interaction. The research in this field deals with what shapes our attitudes and how we develop prejudice. The Handbook of Research on Applied Social Psychology in Multiculturalism explores social psychology within the context of multiculturalism and the way society deals with cultural diversity at national and community levels. It will cover major topics of social psychology such as group behavior, social perception, leadership, non-verbal behavior, conformity, aggression, and prejudice. This book will deal with social psychology with a direct focus on how different cultures can coexist peacefully by preserving, respecting, and even encouraging cultural diversity, along with a focus on the psychology that is hindering these efforts. This book is essential for researchers in social psychology and the social sciences, activists, psychologists, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students interested in how social psychology interacts with multiculturalism.

"In light of the increasing adoption of technology, it is critical that researchers explore the complex effects of computer technology on human behavior and the intersection of real world and virtual experiences. Crime Online uses empirical tests and unique data to provide detailed criminological explorations of multiple forms of cybercrime, including phishing, hacking, and sex crimes. This text also includes a comprehensive exploration of cyberterrorism and activism in online environments. The law enforcement and policy responses to cybercrimes at the local, state, and federal level are also discussed in detail. This work provides practical policy discussions that will benefit academics, law enforcement, legal counsel, and students at the undergraduate and graduate level"--

The ubiquity of computers and the Internet have drastically changed the landscape of crime and deviance. Computer technology enables offenders to anonymously target victims around the world, connect with others who share their interests, and participate in various crimes. The Internet and cellular telephony are increasingly incorporated into real world offenses like prostitution in order to connect sex workers and clients with minimal risk of detection. At the same time, new forms of offending have emerged as a direct consequence of technology, such as computer hacking, which can be used for both beneficial and illegal purposes. The Internet has also become an important environment for extremists and terror groups to communicate their beliefs globally in order to recruit others and generate funds. In light of the increasing adoption of technology, it is critical that researchers explore the complex effects of computer technology on human behavior and the intersection of real world and virtual experiences. Crime On-Line provides detailed criminological explorations of multiple forms of cybercrime, including phishing, hacking, and sex crimes using empirical tests and unique data. This text also includes a comprehensive exploration of cyberterrorism and activism in on-line environments. The law enforcement and policy responses to cybercrimes at the local, state, and federal level are also discussed in detail. This work provides practical policy discussions that will benefit academics, law enforcement, legal counsel, and students at the undergraduate and graduate level. Specifically, the second edition includes updated sections on child pornography, cyberbullying, and cyberterrorism. There are also four new chapters by well known authors in the field including: a qualitative exploration of the computer hacker subculture; a content analysis of spam based work at home schemes; an assessment of the tactics employed to combat music piracy over

The last twenty years have seen an explosion in the development of information technology, to the point that people spend a major portion of waking life in online spaces. While there are enormous benefits associated with this technology, there are also risks that can affect the most vulnerable in our society but also the most confident. Cybercrime and its victims explores the social construction of violence and victimisation in online spaces and brings together scholars from many areas of inquiry, including criminology, sociology, and cultural, media, and gender studies. The book is organised thematically into five parts. Part one addresses some broad conceptual and theoretical issues. Part two is concerned with issues relating to sexual violence, abuse, and exploitation, as well as to sexual expression online. Part three addresses issues related to race and culture. Part four addresses concerns around cyberbullying and online suicide, grouped together as ‘social violence’. The final part argues that victims of cybercrime are, in general, neglected and not receiving the recognition and support they need and deserve. It concludes that in the volatile and complex world of cyberspace continued awareness-raising is essential for bringing attention to the plight of victims. It also argues that there needs to be more support of all kinds for victims, as well as an increase in the exposure and punishment of perpetrators. Drawing on a range of pressing contemporary issues such as online grooming, sexting, cyber-hate, cyber-bulling and online radicalization, this book examines how cyberspace makes us more vulnerable to crime and violence, how it gives rise to new forms of surveillance and social control and how cybercrime can be prevented.

The emergence of the World Wide Web, smartphones, and computers has transformed the world and enabled individuals to engage in crimes in a multitude of new ways. Criminological scholarship on these issues has increased dramatically over the last decade, as have studies on ways to prevent and police these offenses. This book is one of the first texts to provide a comprehensive review of research regarding cybercrime, policing and enforcing these offenses, and the prevention of various offenses as global change and technology adoption increases the risk of victimization around the world. Drawing on a wide range of literature, Holt and Bossler offer an extensive synthesis of numerous contemporary topics such as theories used to account for cybercrime, policing in domestic and transnational contexts, cybercrime victimization and issues in cybercrime prevention. The findings provide a roadmap for future research in cybercrime, policing, and technology, and discuss key controversies in the existing research literature in a way that is otherwise absent from textbooks and general cybercrime readers. This book is an invaluable resource for academics, practitioners, and students interested in understanding the state of the art in social science research. It will be of particular interest to scholars and students interested in cybercrime, cyber-deviance, victimization, policing, criminological theory, and technology in general.

This new textbook offers a systematic introduction to a wide array of cybercrimes, exploring their diversity and the range of possible responses to them. Combining coverage of theoretical perspectives with more technical knowledge, the book is divided into ten chapters which first lay the foundations of the topic and then consider the most important types of cybercrimes – from crimes against devices to political offences – before finally exploring ways to prevent, disrupt, analyse and better comprehend them. Examples from several countries are included, in the attempt to show how crime and deviance in cyberspace are truly global problems, with different countries experiencing comparable sets of challenges. At the same time, the author illustrates how these challenges manifest themselves differently, depending on the socio-legal culture of reference. This text offers an accessible introduction to the topic for all those studying cybercrimes at undergraduate or postgraduate level. Whether students approach the topic from a criminological, legal or computer science perspective, this multidisciplinary approach of this text provides a common language to guide them through the intricacies of criminal and deviant behaviours in cyberspace.