There is no doubt that the internet has revolutionised communication and information-sharing in the same way that the telegraph and the television did before it. However, societies have had to cope with unanticipated new problems, including crimes which traditional laws are powerless to prevent. This essay will address some of the illegal acts enabled by the internet and propose solutions.
To begin with, the global scale of the internet means that national laws are no longer adequate to control what happens online. Take restrictions on legal reporting, for example. In some countries, the media is prohibited from revealing details of a defendant’s past in case this prejudices a fair trial. However, such restrictions are no longer enforceable now that information may be freely published in other countries and accessed by all. The only solution here, it seems, is to adopt global standards. Since the internet traverses national borders, the flow of information can only be controlled if all nations agree on what can and cannot be shared.
Another problem concerns anonymity, as internet users can easily conceal their identity and even impersonate others. Many crimes such as identity theft and child abuse result from the ease with which criminals can operate anonymously online. Some have proposed a system of online identification, similar to a passport, which would allow all internet users to be verified and traced. I believe this idea should be explored further, though there are clearly concerns about the security of those who use the internet to protest against oppressive regimes.
In conclusion, the only long-term solution to the problem of internet crime is greater international cooperation. Since the problem is global is scale, the solution must also be global. A new agency of the United Nations should be created to tackle the problems described here
There is no doubt that the internet has
revolutionised
communication and information-sharing
in the same way
that the telegraph and the television did
before
it.
However
, societies have had to cope with unanticipated new
problems
, including crimes which traditional laws are powerless to
prevent
. This essay will address
some of the
illegal acts enabled by the internet and propose solutions.
To
begin
with, the
global
scale of the internet means that national laws are no longer adequate to control what happens online. Take restrictions on legal reporting,
for example
. In
some
countries, the media
is prohibited
from revealing
details
of a defendant’s past in case this prejudices a
fair
trial.
However
, such restrictions are no longer enforceable
now
that information may be
freely
published in other countries and accessed by all. The
only
solution here, it seems, is to adopt
global
standards. Since the internet traverses national borders, the flow of information can
only
be controlled
if all nations
agree
on what can and cannot
be shared
.
Another
problem
concerns anonymity, as internet users can
easily
conceal their identity and even impersonate others.
Many
crimes such as identity theft and child abuse result from the
ease
with which criminals can operate
anonymously
online.
Some
have proposed a system of online identification, similar to a passport, which would
allow
all internet users to
be verified
and traced. I believe this
idea
should
be explored
further
, though there are
clearly
concerns about the security of those who
use
the internet to protest against oppressive regimes.
In conclusion
, the
only
long-term solution to the
problem
of internet crime is greater international cooperation. Since the
problem
is
global
is scale, the solution
must
also
be
global
. A new agency of the United Nations should
be created
to tackle the
problems
described
here