Table of Contents
Introduction
Over the last decade, the virtual world of Social Media has seen great innovations. From the days, when websites only offered limited amount of instant messaging and social networking, the Social Media has matured into a much more sophisticated world where everything seems to be just a touch away. The introduction of fully developed platforms like Facebook and Twitter keeps you connected with your peers 24/7 and allows the users to engage in many activities simultaneously. The growth of Social Media unveiled many positives. However, every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
Therefore, it also revealed the users to many potentially threatening crimes. Cyberbullying has become the talk of the town due to its negative consequences on the teenagers. According to a survey, ‘fewer than 50% even aware whether their school had a cyberbullying policy’ (Luker & Marie, 2017).The purpose of this paper is to highlight the negative use of Social Media and specifically look in to the details of using Social Media to commit identity theft. The insight on how to protect yourself from such criminal acts is also presented in the paper.
The days have well gone when the communication was commuted through pigeons or the two parties would sit next to their doors in wait for the postman. The world has seen a rapid change in the way we used to communicate. The introduction of telephone eased the major problem and put forward a solution for the world to savour upon. Then came the mighty internet. The digital solution to the problem provided haven for the people who like to associate with others every now and then. The cheap cost and instant connectivity keeps you connected anywhere and everywhere.
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Social Media is not just a platform. It has become a necessity of life in this technologically advanced era. These two words have become synonymous to how we connect with each other in 21st century. One cannot imagine his or her life without internet in today’s world. Social Media has both its pros and cons and it depends on you how much you let it affect you. Social Media puts a lot of power at your disposal and it is on you how you use it. As they say, with great power comes great responsibility, likewise, if not handled with responsibility Social Media can affect you in negative ways. You can either use it to nurture yourself or you could let others use it to break you. It is a whole world in itself. You can visit any corner of the world on Social Media, stay connected to your peers in every corner of the world and virtually join them in their joys and sorrows.
Relationships can be formed or broken instantly in this virtual world. Social Media is not just a way to connect with our friends and family but also meet new people and make them a part of our journey. With that being said, Social Media exposes us to many potential risks and dangers as anyone can keep an eye on our activities and can use that information to hurt us in one way or another. With the increase display of your personal life through Social Media, you put yourself in a position where you can be a victim of online trolling and harassment. People can use the multiple information to hurt you or your family and friends. You expose yourself to hateful acts and detrimental demeanour.
The world of Social Media exposes the users to multiple types of risks and crimes. The social crimes can prove to be much more distressful as they leave their mark behind e.g. hateful words are often forgotten but hateful messages can remain in your inbox for ages and haunt you for a lifetime. Likewise, many burglars use online information to detect and follow the movements of their potential targets and plan their robbery accordingly. The online crimes are known as cybercrimes and in the past few years have become a serious concern regarding the social well-being of people and psychological tensions. The crimes can be divided into many categories depending upon the hate, risk and number of affectees related to it (Khoury, 2017). The common crimes can be categorized as follow:
- Cyberbullying:
The most common online crime is cyberbullying. This crime has normalized to the point that trolling people and making disrespectful ‘memes’ is considered the real fun of Social Media. Hundreds of crimes related to cyberbullying are reported worldwide, however, not much action is taken. The hateful messages, threats and demotivating slurs can often push an individual towards suicide.
- Hacking and Identity Theft:
Many fraudsters trick people into deceiving acts by using fake accounts and pose like some other individual to gain trust of their target or get specific information from someone to use it against them or someone related to them. Getting access to someone’s account without their knowledge is a serious offense.
- Using Social Media to Spread Profanity:
The basic idea to run a business is to sell what is in demand. Likewise, people use Social Media to generate living out of it. Many post vulgar images and profane videos because that sells online. More and more people click on the videos and advertisements and hence fall prey to a serious crime.
- Planned Robberies:
With the new advancements in the technology, the robbers have also got much more advanced. Many rely on information provided through social networking sites e.g. when someone post on social media about their family vacation to some place, the robbers see it as an opportunity to break into their house and loot their assets in their absence.
For this specific task, this paper will discuss the hacking and identity theft in more detail. We have already seen what it means to imitate someone else identity to deceive someone and play some negative role. Recent studies have found that fraudulent affects a large number of individuals a year, costing the victims incalculable time and money in identity claims and restoration. The question that arises is what causes this kind of online burglary and blackmail? It is a mix of elements: mistake of customers learning regarding ensuring your web based personality; developing trust factor with, and comfort in, social platform suppliers; the requirements for social platforms to generate income through monetization; and an absence of measures or policing of these benchmarks. Although this issue is not yet in the limelight, it will soon come in near future. The unregulated idea of internet based life gives cybercriminals and fraudsters a veritable play area of criminal movement.
Many hackers use online tools and software to hack into your systems. If you accept a text or an email form some unknown person you are very much at a risk of falling prey to this form of cybercrime. Many fraudulent send you a message containing a link. If you click on the link a malicious software is automatically downloaded on your system that has the capability of stealing you from valuable information or even passwords and codes to your online banking accounts and payment methods.
Once the hackers creep in to your social accounts, they have the power to exhibit your web based personality in a negative way by putting up misleading posts, wrong messages to your peers and even put you at risk of harassment by uploading your personal information. People usually make fake accounts to gain someone’s trust and get the valuable information from them. As we have seen, relationships are formed and broken over this virtual world.
Identity theft using Social Media has raised many eyebrows because of the ever-increasing crimes. Several necessary protective measures have been taken. According to the US law, hacking is a social crime as drafted in the Computer Misuse Act of 1990 (Edwards, 2006). As per UNCTAD, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, report, around 72% of the countries have placed in a legislation related to Cybercrimes and online identity theft (UNCTAD, 2018). To mention one of the legislations, The Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998 that came into effect from October 30, 1998, makes identity theft a state criminal act with punishments up to 15 years imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000. It marks that the individual or the one affected by identity theft is a true victim (Center, n.d.).
To keep yourself safe from such online crimes, one must take protective measures. That does not necessarily mean to deactivate all your accounts on social sites. The best practice is to not share more information than is required, without making yourself a target for the criminals. One must always discuss the matters with the parents or trustworthy friends. Well-built parent-children relationships and positive experiences at school are often more protective against cyberbullying than adults’ restrictions on adolescents’ media use (Davis & Katie, 2016). One must never provide his credentials like driving license number or Unique ID reference online. Always use variations of passwords across all of your social media accounts. Never ever put in your login information on any online application. Only allow your friends and family to connect with you on your social media accounts and never ever accept any form of invitation from a stranger. Always keep your personal life private. Do not post relevant information online that can help criminals prey on you. Keep your best friend or a close family member as an account login backup so that they have the access in case of any emergency.
Conclusion
The paper describes in detail how Social Media can affect you. It clearly mentions some of the crime acts that are common in our society. The primary purpose of the paper was to highlight the identity theft and it serves the purpose well as it describes in detail what it means, why it occurs and what must be done in order to avoid it. The general study of nature of Social Media and weighing its pros and cons reveal that Social Media can prove to be more bad than good. It depends on its usage how much you let it affect you. One must always stay vigilant and never fall prey to cybercrimes. The use of Social Media must be limited and a proper check must be placed on kids to keep record of their activities and see who they are in contact with online.
References
- Center, N. C. (n.d.). Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998. Retrieved from ckfraud: http://www.ckfraud.org/title_18.html
- Davis, & Katie. (2016, December). Risk and protective factors associated with cyberbullying: Are relationships or rules more protective? Learning, Media and Technology, pp. 521-545.
- Edwards, L. (2006). DAWN OF THE DEATH OF DIST1UBUTED DENIAL OF SERVICE: HOW TO KILL ZOMBIES. Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law, pp. 23-62.
- Khoury, G. (2017, February). 5 Common Types of Social Media Crime. Retrieved from Findlaw: https://blogs.findlaw.com/blotter/2017/02/5-common-types-of-social-media-crime.html
- Luker, & Marie, J. (2017, Nov). International Perceptions of Cyberbullying Within Higher Education. Adult Learning, pp. 144-156.
- UNCTAD. (2018). Cybercrime Legislation Worldwide. Retrieved September 2018, from http://unctad.org/en/Pages/DTL/STI_and_ICTs/ICT4D-Legislation/eCom-Cybercrime-Laws.aspx
