Native Or Migrant

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

The Global Institute for Cyber Safety and Standards

When it comes to the global crisis we face of harassment, stalking, and the overall abuse of others, social networking sites have now surpassed all other modes as the primary means of carrying out these aggressive crimes. The statistics say that young people are twice as likely to be harassed on Facebook than any other social site in the world and that Twitter and Ask.fm are not far behind. They also say that the number one type of cyber-harassment is pornographic content followed by violent threats. What does this say about our changing world? It ought to be an indication that the internet is where most of the action is taking place socially, especially for the younger generation. If we're to combat this most effectively should we not then begin to put ourselves in their shoes?  They are considered to be internet natives, meaning their lives have always been integral with the internet, computers and technology. It is part of their founding sense of reality. Whereas the older generation are internet migrants – we did not begin there, but we adapted to the technology. This is a significant difference. Could it be then that the older generation is incapable of finding effective solutions to current internet challenges such as bullying and harassment? 

There is no doubt cyber-harassment extends to the adult world in the most vicious of ways. There is also no doubt that the stakes are much higher for adults than children. When a life is damaged online, a child has time to recover; an adult does not. The obvious answer is that the children of today must follow rules keeping their behaviours in check when at school, so they should also online. I’m not so sure it is that simple. Standards and laws are a must, but we must be mindful of the way they are implemented. They must be tailored to the natives of the internet who in some ways, though no excuse, have never known a difference.

Fighting Cyber Crime

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

It is always inspiring to see attempts at forging new and meaningful laws to fight against cyber-crimes. The lines are typically drawn in the sand between those wanting to crack down on cyber criminals holding them accountable while making them stop their destructive activity on the internet and those complaining that privacy rights of citizens will be surrendered. Canada is in the midst of such a debate now. Some lawmakers are attempting to pass a bill that makes cyber criminals accountable for their actions by allowing law enforcement to identify and pursue them.  It has unfortunately spurred the expected backlash among groups of citizens and journalism institutions.

The backlashers are concerned about their government gaining too much control if the law is enacted because it would allow law enforcement the right to track and record information on any individual they deem suspect.  Journalists worry they might be targeted if they happen to cross the line with sensitive topics, placing constraints on their ability to do accurate and proper reporting. Those in favor of the bill say that cyber criminals must be hit hard, and where it counts. Keeping the existing status quo will do nothing but encourage the growing problem.  It is feared that if laws are not created to curb internet harassment, the already damaging activity will continue to spiral out of control.

If bills like the one in Canada are voted down, it sends the message loud and clear to those perpetrating their cyber hate, to continue doing it.  It implies everyone has the right to hurt others as they deem fit, even if it causes loss of life.  In this case, the media’s interests happen to greatly benefit cyber criminals. They are using their medium to drum up an exaggerated public perception that the law would be a step toward unwarranted privacy invasion by the government. 

As the new congressional cycle is about to begin, we should be praying and supporting those in favor of this bill.  Cyber criminals need something to be scared of.