Cybercrime is a hideous type of crime, and a poorly understood one, because it is one that causes no physical injury. But it is everywhere and it encompasses everything from having your identity stolen to see your children bullied. This has even ended up in suicides, in fact. Cybercrime is an easy crime to commit, but it has a huge impact on individuals and on society as a whole. And because it can be done in so many different ways, it seems to truly have taken over the world. All that someone needs is a computer, and they can attack anyone they fancy.
Technology has some fantastic advantages, but these advantages are also curses. The fact that so much data can be stored in such a small place, for instance, is both a blessing and a curse. The easy accessibility the internet gives us to people and businesses, is both a blessing and a curse.
There are logic bombs, email bombs, denial service attacks, salami attacks, data theft, viruses, web jacking, and so on. And nobody is safe from it either. Women, children, the elderly, and others who are often classed as the most vulnerable in society are targeted, but so are the huge corporations, celebrities, conglomerations, and so on.
Then, there is the issue of intellectual property right. When someone creates something, such as a song, a video, or a piece of art, it becomes theirs. But as soon as it is posted online, people feel they have the right to use it, share it, and change it. And sometimes, elements are stored online, but they are not supposed to be accessible to all. For instance, cloud storage enables people and businesses to store all their data off-site, but this data is meant to be protected, encrypted, and secured.
So what can be done? According to experts like Matthew Knouff, the key lies in having proper cyberlaws in place. His particular area of focus is on social media ethics and on eDiscovery procedures, both of which are very important in terms of cybercrimes. He believes that, when proper regulations are put in place and adhered to, the situation will become much better for everybody involved, and it will actually become possible to simply enjoy the advantages technology gives us. Only blessings, no more curses, in other words.
eDiscovery, for instance, is about ensuring that data is stored properly (safely, securely, and in a way that can easily be searched). In so doing, it ensures that when something does go wrong, and litigation follows, it becomes possible for businesses to clearly demonstrate who did what, when, where, and how. And it will also show exactly where the breach came from, in case of cybercrimes. eDiscovery has many other benefits, but this is one of the key elements of it that will help people the world over in terms of being safer online. This is something that should be applauded and that everybody should work towards.
