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Computer technology has brought us into an era that is no longer run by man but instead is dependent on computers due to their incredible capabilities. Mankind has progressed further in the last fifty years than any other period of history. This reason is due to the introduction of computers. Everyone's daily activities are affected, in some way or the other by computers. With the computer things that were impossible have now been easily accomplished. The computer allows us to store large volumes of data into a much more reduced high-density form.
This allows a lot less space to be used than the classic way of paper files. It has allowed an increase in speed which improves the production of business or any other activity you may be doing. Calculations can be done in milliseconds and even worldwide connectivity and communication. With the introduction of the computer a new form of crime was born. These crimes referred to as computer crimes are varied and some are a lot more serious than others.
Computer crime can involve criminal activities such as theft, fraud, forgery and mischief, all which are easily defined and subject to criminal sanctions. The computer has also brought along with it a host of potentially new misuses or abuses that may, or should be criminal as well. The problem with today's computer crimes are that the criminal justice systems have not been able to keep up with the technological change. Only a few countries have adequate laws to address the problem, and of these, not one has addressed all the legal, enforcement and prevention problems. The problem with the legal system is that it has always been a system with limits.
The system mainly deals with physical items as its central core. But with the new understanding of the value of data, the system came up with 'intellectual property'; as a means to cover these intangibles. Some people want to use this information in ways which would horrify us. We have called don the legal system to settle the matter but no one really knows what the rules are. Technology is growing much to fast for the legal system to keep pace with. In an effort to manage these crimes federal and state governments have passed laws criminalizing 'unauthorized access'; and data transmission.
Many groups have called for laws, regulations, and constitutions to regulate the electronic field. These efforts are ineffective. There is a huge confusion on the value of data and information. Some do not realize the importance of it and others know very well about the significance of it. These people realize how if the wrong person gets a hold of it there could create a enormous problem. The digital world does stop at our personal computers, but instead reaches out into the physical world and can operate such things as transportation systems, nuclear power plants, and economies of developed countries.
So you can see data is a very important resource as well as valuable. There are two main reasons for the law's difficulty in treating electronic material as property. First data is always changing forms, second is the nature of the network. Originals are in no way distinguishable from copies. Therefore each copy may be altered and passed off as an original and there is no way to tell. You can not tell where the data came from, what the data is, who made it, when it was made, or if it was altered, or stripped of identifying information such as trademark or copyright claims.
There is no way to tell if any of these things have been changed or removed. Now with the introduction of the net, computer crime has increased and a lot easier accomplished. We no longer access information from separate databank's, but instead can tap into databases all around the world. We are not just limited to what lies in our harddrive anymore. There are probably no secure systems that a hacker can not get into on the Internet. The term 'hacker'; is often referred to as a group of people that have been characterized as unethical, irresponsible, and a serious danger to society for actions related to breaking into computer systems.
Hackers are also referred to as a person who enjoys learning the details of computer systems. This definition is a lot less malicious and is the one that most hackers say they fall under. Hackers say that it is our social responsibility to share information and not revealing this information is the real crime. With the increase in technology, laws will always seem to lag behind.
Technology is growing at an extremely fast rate which helps feed computer criminals the tools they need for their acts. We must set more laws and regulations on computer use and deal with the problem just like any other crime dealing with physical property. Hackers have cost companies millions of dollars due to their meddling and poking around inside unauthorized areas within the system. We need some sort of legal system that sets these regulations on black and white and avoid allowing these crimes to fall into a vague gray area.
The only true way to insure no one can interfere with your data is to unplug your system from the wall. Being that this is not logical we must set some standards and strictly enforce them.
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Research essay sample on Computer Crimes Legal System
