Crime in the Digital Age: Controlling Telecommunications and Cyberspace Illegalities - Review

by P. N. Grabosky and Russel G. Smith, published by Transaction Publishers, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey/The Federation Press, Annandale, New South Wales, Australia, 1998.

The emergence of low-cost computing, the Internet, and advances in wireless telecommunications has fueled one of the most significant developments of our time - the information age. But, in addition to the numerous advantages of this progress, significant challenges face society today.

Crime in the Digital Age catalogs current and emerging criminal techniques involving telecommunication systems and the Internet, in addition to identifying measures that potentially can mitigate future risk to society. The authors conducted extensive research and provide excellent documentation. The book encompasses a large amount of information and covers each subject in an organized manner. Topics range from technology, described in simple language, to legislation, regulatory shortcomings, and categories of high-tech crime. While the book appears aimed at researchers in the field of technical criminal investigation and associated policy makers, its plain language and focus on crime make it a useful reference for all high-tech investigators.

The authors selected an interesting layout for the book. After a compelling introductory chapter, the book's next nine chapters catalogue categories of telecommunication and cyber crime from illegal interception of telecommunications to pornography and other offensive content, telemarketing fraud, and the use of telecommunications to facilitate criminal conspiracies. In each chapter, the authors discuss the organizational and regulatory environment; difficulties arising in the detection, investigation, and prosecution of digital crimes; and countermeasures society should consider to minimize risk while ensuring individual privacy and managing costs. Additionally, several themes appear in each category of illegality, such as technologies for concealing the identity of the content of communications (e.g., "spoofing"), encryption, and the extraterritorial nature of telecommunications crime.

The authors present a detailed analytical study of the problem as it currently exists. They also succeed in articulately describing the double-edged conflicts that naturally arise in the investigation and prosecution of technology crimes (e.g., dilemmas such as privacy vs. accountability and national sovereignty vs. globalism).

Law enforcement successfully can investigate digital crimes through expanded data analysis, better coordination, specialized training, and increased and dedicated resources. The authors suggest that not only will new technologies emerge, but new and altered forms of digital crime will as well. In spite of international law enforcement efforts to cooperate through sharing information, recognizing laws, and expanding extradition agreements, digital crime in the future promises to outpace those efforts. The authors indicate that "one may confidently assert that the future will see a substantial increase in the number of potential targets and potential perpetrators of digital crime. The capacity of governments, singly or collectively, to control some form of telecommunications and cyberspace illegality remains limited."

Reviewed by Marcus C. Thomas, Unit Chief Electronic Surveillance Technology-4 Engineering Research Facility Quantico, Virginia

COPYRIGHT 1999 Federal Bureau of Investigation
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group