When the term “technology” is mentioned
What comes to the mind is the way working, living and transport have been made better than in the past. Many benefits can be drawn from various technologies, but the negative things it brings along cannot be overlooked. This is especially so in the era where most processes have been digitized. Technology cannot and should not be considered to be either good or evil. Its creators and users have the power to determine where it lies depending on the intended application. In other words, when it lands on the wrong hands it can prove to be detrimental in a community. This piece seeks to explore the negative side of technology and particularly how it adversely affect communities and will do so by inquiring into some of the forms of crimes in which technology is finding extensive applications.
Role of Technology in Various Crimes
Child Sexual Exploitation
Technology has extended activities which fall under the category of crime, beyond what was only physical. In their study, Wurtele and Kenny argue that perpetrators of internet crimes use technology to win the trust of unsuspecting teens especially in chat room conversations (335). Although there is legislation protecting children from harms including sexual exploitations, perpetrators keep devising new and complicated methods of communicating with minors. Existing laws which seek to shield teenagers from communicating with pedophile extend to internet use. However, the complex nature of technology lowers chances of nailing a suspect of sex offenders. For instance, there is an invention which hides the address and location of the machine which is used in performing tasks. Perpetrators feel secure and extend their offense to innocent youths. They only begin by creating a hoax which will attract many users and after they subscribe to it, they receive instructions about where and when to collect gifts. It is not only disappointing but also shocking for a victim to realize that all along, the individual on the other side of the screen was only playing with his/her psychology. At that moment, it is normally too late to make things right (Wurtele 340). This demonstrates how technology plays a huge role in making the physical crimes in a community much effective and without proper interception by the security agencies, the same evil process is repeated, with a different line of creativity. At one point the reward may be a tangible item or a job offer and before the desperate individuals realize, they are already part of the sexual offense.
Email and Phone Scamming
The other common crime facing community today is email and phone scamming which involves the acquisition of some information including passwords and account numbers. In the past, when landlines were common, unsolicited calls were very few, but in the wake of technological progress, Smartphone and high-speed computers have facilitated fraudulence through the internet. Scammers mainly disguise themselves as business customers or partners. They access emails and numbers from services to which one is subscribed. As Pagura observes, “these scams will usually send you an email or a message on your mobile phone offering you a service” (36). Continued dissemination of email and phone numbers across various online platforms make it easier for spammers to access sensitive information regarding finances and family (Ramage 281). This method of accessing private information without the consent of a person is gaining popularity thanks to increased use of smartphones in addition to the desperation of getting money in the era of few job opportunities.
The most disturbing thing of all is that the victim gives information unknowingly and then wonder who is behind the spread of confidential information. In addition, some network operators have been selling users’ data to some perpetrators thereby making thousands of dollars on a single day (Ramage 271). It is distressing for members of the community to realize that the same operator to whom they are subscribed are the ones responsible for their miseries.
Internet Harassment
Harassment of individuals is the other common crime which members of the community are confronting in the era of the internet. Other than the traditional way of annoying people considered enemies, offenders have devised the online mode of attack that is not physical. On the extreme, some users take their offline cold war to the internet by displaying pictures and posts whose intent is to demean people they hate. Internet harassment and stalking are two crimes against an individual or organization gaining popularity (Felt 898).
Together with social media, the internet is enabling ill-intentioned persons to create multiple accounts. Most of them use false names and are categorized as a pseudo account. Normally, such accounts with fake profiles tend to steal the identity of other unsuspicious subscribers to inflict pain in people they know. Many of them begin as friends and after they have the trust of their targeted victim, a conversation is kicked off. The main content of the chats involves comforting the victim. After learning kind of struggles the person is confronting, they begin attacking them and calling them degrading names (Felt 899). When the problem is escalated, the victim resort to committing suicide or engaging in destructive behaviors. Felt suggests “uncontrollable technology create the cultural stock frames that since technology is dangerous, since teens need protection, and since cyberbullying leads to suicide” (906). As a result, innocent people are convicted of crimes they have never heard. This shows how technology can initiate conflict and escalate it among people within a community. The challenge is even contributed by the fact that most people share even the most private information on social media. With access to the posts and pictures on social networking sites, perpetrators are empowered to continue their evil plots on their enemies (Wainwright 200). Trusting people with deepest secrets leads to the downfall of the user of the internet.
Drug Trafficking
Internet as an important component of globalization is undoubtedly playing a crucial role in the illicit business of drug trafficking. Wainwright suggests that a buyer and seller are normally a click away and the two sides do not have to physically meet to conduct their dirty business (192). For instance, the two benefits from a reduction in the risk associated with a one-on-one business deal such as booking. Presently, the process of purchasing and sending the drugs is facilitated by technology. The deep web has been shown to offer buyers and sellers great opportunities to agree on payment for drugs and reception. Underground forums tend to be hectic to uncover the operations being performed. Additionally, users use specific codes to conceal their conversation (Wainwright 195).
Throughout the business, the chats are characterized by anonymous users and government agencies require special skills to expose illicit practices between individuals. In most cases, few of the perpetrators are nailed if they stay focused on their secrets. At times they combine identity theft to propagate their unlawful operations. Using the name of an innocent person, suspects make purchases and selling of drugs and then the rest of the part, the tracking technology takes over (Wainwright 196). Contrary to the traditional method, today there is no need for on-the-ground individuals to receive, direct or deliver drugs. Technology is doing much of the work with very minimal human involvement. In most cases, anonymity technologies overpower use of pseudo accounts because of the stringent rules in play for operators of social networking sites. The complex trade of drugs from growing, production and supply requires sufficient technological skills (Wainwright 198). Considering the overall reward for online-based drug trafficking, perpetrators purchase expensive technologies. Despite the intervention of the government to limit such activities, the anonymity ecosystems have proved very adaptable and are the reason the business is still prevalent.
Human Trafficking
Another common tech-tied crime whose impact in the community is far-reaching is human trafficking. As a multi-billion trade, technology is factored in to ensure the whole process of acquisition, transport, and reception of humans is well monitored. Individuals involved in this hideous practice would rather spend much cash to purchase technologies which will protect them from anything that could sabotage the business. According to Wainwright, the victims are acquired for two major purposes which include sexual exploitation and forced labor (192).
While it is easy to think slave trade is a practice of the past, it is still deeply rooted in the community such that some individuals earn a living from exchanging humans with money or precious items. Around the globe, like other businesses, human trafficking has never been effective than it is in today when technological advancement is at its peak. The main purpose of incorporating it is to ensure effective collaboration, communication, tracking, and payment. Traffickers achieve this through gadgets such as laptops, notepads, and smartphones because they are easy to operate even for those who are always on the go (Wainwright 194). Their functionality is also diversified to help perpetrators evade detection from law enforcers. As a complex crime, similar to drug trafficking, trade of humans requires a well-orchestrated plan to ensure no stage of the trade face troubles. This includes bypassing security check at the entry and exit of a country from which individuals are acquired. Therefore, individuals with technological skills thrive in achieving their evil plans. Apart from skills required to operate gadgets, individuals in the governments also participate in the business lowering chances of jailing the perpetrators.
Conclusion
Technology is an important tool in human life but with it come some of the adverse impacts on the community and particularly making crimes more prevalent and hard to track down. In this paper, some crimes which pose a threat to the community including drug trafficking, trade in humans, email and phone scamming, internet harassment and children sexual exploitation have been discussed. After careful research, technology has been viewed as a tool which makes crimes complex. This is because of the evolution of complicated systems which aid in hiding the identity of the perpetrator, efficient payment, tracking and luring youths into illicit practices. Even though technology is not evil, but rather if it is used by careless individuals, the outcomes are detrimental to harmony in a community. For this matter, it is high time government, developers, operators, and users ensure the application of technology because it can wipe the human race from the face of the earth.
Works Cited
Felt, Mylynn. “News Portrayals of Cyberbullying as the Product of Unstable Teen Technological Culture.” Canadian Journal of Communication, vol. 42, no. 5, Nov. 2017, pp. 893–912.
Pagura, Ingrid. “SCAMS: What You Need to Know.” Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society, vol. 23, no. 1, Jan. 2017, pp. 36–37.
Ramage, Sally. “Information Technology Facilitating Money Laundering.” Information & Communications Technology Law, vol. 21, no. 3, Oct. 2012, pp. 269–282.
Wainwright, Rob. “Fighting Crime and Terrorism in the Age of Technology.” Brown Journal of World Affairs, vol. 24, no. 2, Spring/Summer2018 2018, pp. 191–203.
Wurtele, Sandy K., and Maureen C. Kenny. “Technology-Related Sexual Solicitation of Adolescents: A Review of Prevention Efforts.” Child Abuse Review, vol. 25, no. 5, Sept. 2016, pp. 332–344.
