Prompt: Andriy Slynchuk has described eleven things Internet users do that may be illegal. Review what the author says and write a paragraph describing the five most serious violations and why you think those offenses are serious.
In my opinion, the worst of the potential cybercrimes that Slynchuk describes is faking an identity online. The primary uses I can think of for someone using a false identity would result in serious harm to others. For example, a criminal may use another person’s identity to empty their victim’s bank account, deceive their victim into sending money, or prey on underage children. These cases would cause detrimental damage and distress to the targeted individuals. Similarly, I find cyberbullying particularly contemptible because it can cause considerable distress and disruption to someone’s life. Not only could being the victim of cyberbullying lead to shame, embarrassment, and depression, but it could also be deadly, driving the victim to suicide. Next is sharing others’ addresses, passwords, and photos online without their consent. Sharing someone’s address and photos could put them in physical danger if they are being stalked or have a substantial online following. While how sharing someone’s address can put them in harm’s way is self-explanatory, uploading pictures could also reveal a person’s location and potentially their daily routines. This could enable an online stalker to find the victim’s location and confront them in person. Additionally, I am including nonconsensually recording VoIP calls because it is a blatant and egregious violation of privacy. It could reveal sensitive personal information, business strategies, and trade secrets. Finally is torrenting because it is a type of copyright infringement that does not offer an apparent way for the copyright holder to recuperate lost revenue. Perhaps with unofficial streaming services, a copyright holder may be able to be reimbursed by suing the person or entity hosting the illegal streaming site because they may be collecting subscription fees or ad revenue. However, because torrenting uses peer-to-peer protocols and is generally decentralized, there is likely no money exchange for providing or watching stolen content. As a result, victims of copyright infringement likely would not be able to seek restitution effectively.