New Media and New Crime Essay Example

concerning this matter.

The current cyber crime encompasses a variety of illegal activities, such as online fraud, espionage, stock manipulation, terrorism, extortion, child pornography, and attacks on personal privacy. However, law enforcement agencies are facing increasing challenges in tracking these crimes due to a significant number of unreported unlawful internet activities despite the growing number of incidents. It is estimated that only one out of seven cases of fraud are reported to law enforcement agencies. In the United States, efforts towards information security policy primarily focus on combating cyber-crime in the form of terrorism. During a briefing in 2001, Ronald Dick, the assistant director of the FBI revealed that the hijackers involved in the 9/11 incident effectively used the internet.

Following this incident, terrorists have been enhancing their abilities on the internet, resulting in a rise in their online representation. In 1998, fifteen organizations that were categorized as terrorist groups according to the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 already operated websites. By 2000, more than 40 terrorist groups had verified their presence on the internet. In 2003, several websites targeting terrorists and their sympathizers started appearing in search results.

The growth in websites is not surprising, thanks to the easy process of website registering. These sites are readily available and affordable, with a maintenance cost of approximately $10 per year (Lievrouw and Livingstone, 2002). In recent times, the internet has become a powerful form of media, serving as a one-stop shop for all human needs. This has increased exposure for people who already use websites and has effectively penetrated society more than any previous forms of media. The success is fueled by the appeal of

freedom and active public participation. People have the freedom to choose the information they want to access on the internet and support their own causes.

These pull media features enhance the effectiveness of tools used by terrorist groups to establish their presence and actively carry out their mission. These tools include psychological warfare, disseminating disinformation that portrays the groups as freedom fighters with no alternative. The internet also allows these groups to propagate propaganda for various purposes such as recruitment, fundraising, data mining, coordinating attack logistics, and issuing threats. The act of issuing threats poses significant risks, endangering national security, enabling access for potential groups, and facilitating hacking of accounts containing sensitive data.

The internet has had a significant impact on the global spread and accessibility of information. This is evident in various incidents that have occurred worldwide, including Mexico, Kenya, and cases involving Al-Qaeda violence. An example is seen during the 2007 presidential elections in Kenya, where the internet played a vital role in documenting human rights abuses and violence. Observations made by new media practitioners were quickly shared with the rest of the world. However, on December 30th, the government imposed a media blackout that banned radio and television broadcasts. Despite this blackout, bloggers like M. and R. continued to use the internet to raise awareness about the situation.

Despite the limitations faced by traditional media during the crisis, daily updates about the unfolding crises were still being posted. These updates were accompanied by data on violence provided by Ushahidi, a website created in 2008 to allow Kenyans to report instances of violence through SMS and email. This combination of accounts and data offered a true

depiction of the situation in Kenya when other media platforms could not access such information.

The Recruitment and Propaganda by Al-Qaeda

Even though Al-Qaeda adheres to rigid fundamental Islamic principles and openly expresses its hatred for Western culture and advancements in technology, it uses the Internet as its primary tool for propaganda and recruitment. By leveraging widespread website networks, the organization disseminates information from top terrorists to sympathizers and supporters across the globe.

One could potentially pledge loyalty to bin Laden by filling out an online form (Surette, 2014).

The Virtual Kidnappings of Mexico

In Mexico, there has been a significant increase in mobile phone-based virtual kidnappings in the past year. These crimes involve individuals who have been convicted for using smuggled mobile phones. They call parents of children and pretend to have kidnapped them when the children are unreachable, such as when they are in movie theaters or when their cell phone batteries die. The victims hear recorded sounds of children crying in the background while the perpetrators demand a ransom until the parents find out where their children actually are. From December 2007 to February 2008, the Mexican police received over 30,000 complaints about virtual kidnappings.

The U.S enforcement of immigrants and customs has recently reported that virtual kidnappings, a phenomenon similar to email spam, are spreading rapidly in the country. These scams are also connected to fake lotteries and a virtual kidnapping attack on the Mexican legislative members' congress, which resulted in its shutdown for one day in November 2007.

Violence Campaigns in Kenya

During Kenya's post-election violence, mobile phones, blogs, YouTube, and other digital platforms played a crucial role in documenting and sharing information with the international community amidst

a media blackout. However, recent studies on the use of new media during this time reveal that mobile phones were also used to coordinate riots and target specific ethnic groups through SMS. Text messages inciting ethnic violence began circulating as early as January 2008, urging opposing groups in Nairobi to engage in deadly attacks against each other.

There were less sinister but still dangerous messages that warned friends about the impending danger of riots. Some of these messages even led to preemptive attacks from individuals who believed they needed to defend themselves. There is a clear comparison made between the radio calls for genocide in Rwanda in 1994 and the violent SMS campaigns in Kenya (Banks, 2005). Alongside this, there was also a proliferation of hate speech online that supported the use of mobile phones. The online forum Mashada, based in Kenya, became flooded with violent messages, prompting its founder David Kobia to temporarily shut it down by January 29th of that same year. On that day, a screenshot from the forum stated: 'while we understand the need for an interactive space, the majority of interactions on Mashada.com contribute negatively to what is happening in Kenya'. In a later interview, David mentioned that the media blackout made Kenyans turn to online sources for information.

Mashada provided a platform for freedom of expression, which had both positive and negative effects. It allowed people to share their beliefs, but also enabled the spread of ethnic divisions. Those advocating for the closure of the site argued that while it was a difficult decision, it was necessary to intervene when speech incited violence. The aftermath of the 2007 elections in Kenya

highlighted how quickly people turned to digital media, such as mobile phones and the internet, for information during crises and crimes in developing countries. It is important to recognize that this dual nature of technology extends beyond crisis situations.

Media's Role in Crime Prevention

On the flip side, technological advancements in media have also introduced innovative methods for preventing crime and aiding in prosecution.

The impact of new media on citizen involvement in crime prevention and community change is significant. Public safety is a major concern for every government, but there are instances where the state's ability to address violence and crime falls short. In these cases, it falls upon citizens to maintain the necessary security. Alerta Miraflores serves as an excellent example of how new media can benefit public safety. Miraflores, a municipality in Peru, experienced a rise in crime during the 1990s, which included robbery, drug possession, and assault (Surette, 2014). To ensure swift action from local authorities, these incidents were reported through various media channels that actively engaged citizens. The utilization of web and phone-based technologies marks a fresh approach to managing crime by providing citizens with a tool to report acts of violence or crime to inform local authorities.

They access a system that automates their report-making process by dialing in. The system electronically captures the given data and presents it on maps, allowing public safety officials to identify the origins of citizen calls. The closest officers are then dispatched to these areas in a transparent manner, encouraging citizen participation. Voxiva, a communications company established in 2001, created another website for centralizing information through mobile solutions (Lievrouw and Livingstone, 2002). They developed the

CitizensAlert platform, which enables citizens to report emergencies, crimes, and other incidents through both web and phone. These reports are displayed on the website and monitored by a command center.

Users with authorization can access the actions taken in response to reported incidents, ensuring transparency and accountability. The police are then sent out, and their responses and citizen feedback are also monitored using the same system.

Conclusion

The power of digital media lies in its ability to connect communities across geographical boundaries, enhance healthcare and education, facilitate creative collaboration, document and prevent human rights abuses, and provide essential tools for development practitioners. However, these same features that make this new technology valuable can also be misused for harmful purposes. Therefore, it is important to have a complete understanding of digital media and use it responsibly by recognizing both its potential for positive impacts as well as negative consequences.

Technology, especially digital media, is essential for society's progress, as shown in the mentioned stories. Mobile phones and the internet have greatly enhanced worldwide information access and sharing. Additionally, these tools pose challenges for governments to regulate, allowing citizen journalism to quickly spread information during emergencies. However, it is vital to recognize that technology can also be used maliciously to incite fear and violence.

Reference

1. Banks, M. (2005). Spaces of (in) security: Media and fear of crime in a local context. Crime, Media, Culture, 1(2), 169-187.
2. Lievrouw, L. A., & Livingstone, S. (Eds.). (2002). Handbook of new media: Social shaping and consequences of ICTs. Sage.
3. Schlesinger, P., & Tumber, H. (1994). Reporting crime: The media politics of criminal justice. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
4. Surette, R. (2014). Media, crime, and
   

criminal justice.

Nelson Education.