How does cyber technology impact interactions between offenders and victims?

Cyber technology and its interaction between offenders and victims can be simply explained. The use of cyber technology has made it easier for an offender to harass a victim. One way that cyber technology has made it easier for the offender is that an offender can harass a victim without even having to meet or see them physically. They can just send messages to victims online, and they can do this anonymously (that is, they can do it without the victim knowing their actual identity). Now, this is not to say that victims don’t have any protection online, as their are laws protecting users from forms of cyber harassment. However, these laws tend to be a little dated and have a tough time proving whether or not someone was actually being victimized or not (unless it’s clear and blatant). This has been changing lately however, but there comes a line that is becoming exceedingly blurry. In the U.S in particular, how much can our free speech be limited and what should be censored (if it should be censored at all). This is something for the courts and our elected officials to decide.

Phishing is a popular form of cybercrime that is particular effective against those that are less inclined towards technology. To clarify, phishing (which derives it’s name from actual fishing) is “the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.” This is definitely not a victimless crime and is one of the main things many companies focus on when training their employees on cyber awareness and cyber security. While phishing can use complex methods, one of the best ways to stop phishing is to just not click on unrecognized emails or to not give out personal / sensitive information without verifying the validity of the email.