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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 9:48 pm
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124 results foundAuthor: Phippen, Andy Title: Sharing Personal Images and Videos Among Young People Summary: These findings, which come from a survey conducted by South West Grid for Learning and the University of Plymouth (full details at end), will horrify many teachers, parents, police, and virtually everyone else who deals with young people. Among the main findings are the fact that around 40% of respondents say that they know friends who have been involved in sexting. Over a quarter (27%) of respondents said that sexting happens regularly or all of the time. Over half (56%) of respondents were aware of instances where images and videos were distributed further than the intended recipient, but only 23% believe this distribution is intended to cause upset. Put another way – the majority of respondents knew that these images and videos were sent on beyond the people for whom they were intended. And yet, despite 30% of young people knowing someone who had been adversely affected by sexting, only a minority (27%) believe that young people need more support and advice related to the issue. The survey clearly shows a population fully aware of the concept of sexting and a significant subset who are actively engaged in the practice. It is also a closed community. 70% said they would turn to their friends if they were affected by issues related to sexting. Only around a quarter (24%) of young people would turn to a teacher for help if they were affected by issues related to sexting. Andy Phippen of Plymouth University says, “Our research shows that this is a significantly larger problem than we had first imagined. What is also clear is that such practices lead to a desensitization of young people to issues of intimacy. We would strongly support the SWGfL’s call for wider awareness and education initiatives to bring this issue out of hiding.” As David Wright of SWGfL says, “What is particularly worrying is the somewhat blasé attitude to the subject. Only a minority of respondents believe that the extended distribution of explicit images of an individual is done to cause upset, and few feel that young people need further support in this area.” It is immediately apparent that such practices are cause for concern. It shows a population who are unconcerned about intimacy or privacy yet are ill-equipped to understand the implications of their actions. Given that there is evidence that sexting forms part of a wider on-line relationship which young people have with each other, it is clear that schools and other bodies need to incorporate sexting within the wider eSafety education practice. “But the approach taken in raising awareness of issues needs careful consideration,” warns David Wright of SWGfL who organized the survey. “Our data shows that young people are unlikely to turn to teachers for help directly, so we would suggest that sexting awareness be adopted into wider peer-education schemes if they are to achieve high levels of success.” Details: Exeter, Great Britain: South West Grid for Learning, 2009. 8p. Source: eSafety document: Internet Resource: Accessed February 12, 2012 at http://www.swgfl.org.uk/Staying-Safe/Files/Documents/sexting-detail Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.swgfl.org.uk/Staying-Safe/Files/Documents/sexting-detail Shelf Number: 124097 Keywords: Juvenile OffendersJuvenile VictimsSexting (U.K.)Social Media |
Author: Frank, Richard Title: Social Media Sites: New Fora for Criminal, Communication, and Investigation Opportunities Summary: Over the last two decades, rapid advances in communication technologies have significantly enhanced efficiency and information sharing. The spread of online discussion fora and most recently, social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter, has helped rekindle and maintain connections between friends and acquaintances, facilitated the building of various online communities that share common interests, and created a new space for entrepreneurship and business transactions. Social media tools help to link people with common interests, and facilitate a wide variety of activities in the legitimate sector; it follows that such popular communication and business tools may also facilitate work in the illegitimate sector, perhaps even the work of criminal organizations. The current research complements and builds on existing empirical information regarding the use of social media by criminal organizations and law enforcement by way of literature review and interviews with law enforcement officials and social media experts. All law enforcement respondents and social media experts indicated that law enforcement personnel and organizations have, and continue to, employ social media to connect to the communities that they serve. The goals of law enforcement use of social media as identified by respondents were to connect to and interact with the community, and to proactively monitor the community for disruptive events and activities. Respondents reflected on the challenges they faced when conducting such investigations online. These included the ability to find the correct person among the large number of online social media users, the procedural difficulties associated with acquiring private information from social media data owners, and the time consuming nature of following forensically sound procedures when collecting online evidence, particularly when it is done in such a way as to not leave behind traces of police activities. One recurring recommendation from respondents, which also appears in the literature, is that police officers need more basic training on using computers and the Internet for open source intelligence gathering. Respondents suggest that it is important that law enforcement personnel have access to different computers, websites, and software so that they can be more fluent with them and utilize a variety of tools. Respondents indicated that law enforcement personnel need to accept that police officers will want to use online social media sites for personal reasons. But, they warned that separating police work from personal work is a mandatory requirement. They expressed concern that many police officers do not understand the danger of posting photos and personal information on online social media sites (OSMS), even if they have strict privacy settings. Some respondents suggested that a set of principles be created and followed regarding how police should and can obtain evidence and what they should (not) do to a crime scene where a computer is involved. Respondents suggested that such a guideline would allow law enforcement personnel to be more effective and consistent in gathering evidence from computers. Moreover, such a guideline may help minimize trails left by law enforcement personnel during investigation. Most respondents agreed that persons suspected of organized crime involvement do not tend to display their illicit activities on their social media profiles, but instead use social media to keep connected to their networks. The intersections between the demographic characteristics of persons who use social media and those of persons involved with organized crime may be useful for targeting investigation and communication efforts. This comparison illustrates that, in general, persons involved in organized crime tend to be late-onset offenders, older than those who frequent social media sites, and may perhaps be less likely to use social media. Exceptionally, the two blog sites described in this report, Blogger and Wordpress, were shown to have an older cohort of users. It is possible that members of criminal organizations, like the older general public, may be more attracted to blog sites than to Twitter, FaceBook, or MySpace, and as such may be users or consumers of such social media. Unlike the typical social media user, women involved in criminal organizations tend to be non-Caucasian, with disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds (Beare 2010). As such, it is possible that female organized crime offenders are even less likely than their male counterparts to use social media sites. Details: Ottawa: Research and National Coordination, Organized Crime Division, Law Enforcement and Policy Branch, Public Safety Canada, 2011. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 7, 2012 at: http://www.sfu.ca/~icrc/content/PS-SP-socialmedia.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Canada URL: http://www.sfu.ca/~icrc/content/PS-SP-socialmedia.pdf Shelf Number: 125499 Keywords: Criminal InvestigationsInformation TechnologyMedia and CommunicationsOrganized Crime (Canada)Social Media |
Author: Bartlett, Jamie Title: Policing in an Information Age Summary: Policing is an information intensive business. This means that changes in the way people create, share and use information present new challenges to the task of policing a democratic society. The widespread adoption of social media is one such change. Social media allows the police to engage and include the public in law enforcement in new, potentially transformative ways. But it also makes these engagements more difficult to control, and open to misuse and reputational damage. It allows the police to gather powerful, recent and possibly decisive intelligence – social media intelligence or ‘SOCMINT’ - in the interests of public safety. But there is a risk that this will be done in a way that is unsound, unsafe, and radically undermining of public trust. Social media is a new source of evidence for enforcement purposes, but also a new theatre of crime. For at least the last five years, dealing with these opportunities and challenges has become increasingly important to police forces. The initial doubts which many may have had about the relevance of social media platforms to police work were largely dispelled by the August 2011 riots. Since then, police interest in and use of social media has increased rapidly against a background of greater pressure on police budgets and the beginnings of a decline in police numbers. All forces in the UK have some presence on Twitter, with accounts for senior police officers, central communications, neighbourhood, helicopter, road and football policing teams. Some police officers tweet in a private capacity. West Midlands Police for example has accounts for individual officers, force football teams and even the police dog. Other social media platforms – Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Pinterest, Google +, Audiobook – are also used, often linked to Twitter accounts. Most forces have formal social media policies and strategies, and most use social media as a basis for investigation or as evidence. In this short paper, we summarise the key opportunities and difficulties social media presents for engagement, intelligence and enforcement. It is far from comprehensive and offers only an overview of each. Nevertheless, it seems to us that the police will now certainly need to use social media to engage with the public, collect intelligence, and investigate crime, both on- and offline. This needs new settlements – in doctrine, resource allocation, operation, capability, regulation and strategy – that allow it to be done in accordance with the principles at the heart of the British model of policing: legitimacy, accountability, visibility, compliance with the rule of law, proportionality, the minimal use of force and engagement with the public. Details: London: Demos, 2013. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 30, 2013 at: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/DEMOS_Policing_in_an_Information_Age_v1.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/DEMOS_Policing_in_an_Information_Age_v1.pdf Shelf Number: 128164 Keywords: Information TechnologyPolice-Media RelationsPolicing (U.K.)Social Media |
Author: Berger, J.M. Title: Who Matters Online: Measuring influence, evaluating content and countering violent extremism in online social networks Summary: It is relatively easy to identify tens of thousands of social media users who have an interest in violent ideologies, but very difficult to figure out which users are worth watching. For students of extremist movements and those working to counter violent extremism online, deciphering the signal amid the noise can prove incredibly daunting. This paper sets out a first step in solving that problem. We have devised a scoring system to find out which social media accounts within a specific extremist circle were most influential and most prone to be influenced (a tendency we called exposure). Our starting data centered on followers of 12 American white nationalist/white supremacist “seed” accounts on Twitter. We discovered that by limiting our analysis to interactions with this set, the metrics also identified the users who were highly engaged with extremist ideology. Within our total dataset of 3,542 users, only 44 percent overtly identified themselves as white nationalists online. By measuring interactions alone—without analyzing user content related to the ideology—we narrowed the starting set down to 100 top-scoring accounts, of which 95 percent overtly selfidentified as white nationalist. Among the top 200, 83 percent self-identified, and for the top 400, the self-identification rate was 74 percent. A comparison analysis run on followers of anarchist Twitter accounts suggests the methodology can be used without modification on any number of ideologies. Because this approach is entirely new (at least in the public sphere), the paper spends some time discussing the methodology and findings in some detail, before concluding with a series of recommendations for countering violent extremism (CVE) based on the findings. The key terms for understanding the recommendations are: • Influence: The tendency of a user to inspire a measurable reaction from other users (such as a replies or retweets). • Exposure: The flip side of influence, this is the tendency of a user to respond to another user in a measurable way. • Interactivity: The sum of influence and exposure scores, roughly representing how often a user interacts with the content of other users. Our key findings include: • Influence is highly concentrated among the top 1 percent of users in the set. • High scores in both influence and exposure showed a strong correlation to engagement with the seed ideology (white nationalism in our primary analysis, and anarchism in a secondary analysis). • Interactivity, the sum of influence and exposure scores, was even more accurate at identifying users highly engaged with the seed ideology. In the course of collecting the data needed to measure influence and exposure, we incidentally collected a large amount of data on hashtags and links used by people who follow known white nationalists on Twitter. When we examined this data, we discovered that members of the dataset were highly engaged with partisan Republican and mainstream conservative politics. The paper presents a significant amount of context needed to properly evaluate this finding. Working from these findings, the paper makes several recommendations for new CVE initiatives with a focus on NGO efforts, which was the purpose of this research, although we recognize our findings will likely have utility for government efforts in this sphere as well. Our recommendations include: • We believe these metrics offer ways to concretely measure which types of CVE approaches are effective and which are not, bringing some clarity to a realm where strategies are often wishful and based on assumptions, while conclusions are often anecdotal and inconclusive. • The concentration of influence among a very few users suggests that disruptive approaches and countermessaging should be targeted to the top of the food chain, rather than working with the larger base of users. • Our analysis found that the seed accounts—all wellknown white nationalist ideologues and activists—were not necessarily producing the most popular content and links to external Web sites. The collected data can be used to find the most important external content sources, and target them for disruption through terms-of-service violation reporting, or through counter-messaging. • By tracking these metrics on an ongoing basis, NGO efforts to counterprogram against extremist narratives can be evaluated to measure how many users adopt or respond to counter-messaging content, and how much influence accrues to different kinds of positive messaging. • Since the data suggests white nationalists are actively seeking dialogue with conservatives, CVE activists should enlist the help of mainstream conservatives, who may be considerably more successful than NGOs at engaging extremists with positive messaging. Further research may also suggest avenues for engagement between other kinds of extremists and other mainstream political and religious movements. Finally, we believe that these metrics are only a starting point for the study of extremist use of social media. We believe the metrics and approaches here can be further refined, and we believe that additional research may yield substantial new techniques for monitoring and countering the promotion of violent ideologies online. Details: London: International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR), King's College London, 2013. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 9, 2013 at: http://icsr.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ICSR_Berger-and-Strathearn.pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://icsr.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ICSR_Berger-and-Strathearn.pdf Shelf Number: 128326 Keywords: Extremists GroupsOnline CommunicationsSocial MediaViolent Extremism |
Author: Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative Title: Developing a Policy on the Use of Social Media in Intelligence and Investigative Activities: Guidance and Recommendations Summary: The advent of social media sites has created an environment of greater connection among people, businesses, and organizations, serving as a useful tool to keep in touch and interact with one another. These sites enable increased information sharing at a more rapid pace, building and enhancing relationships and helping friends, coworkers, and families to stay connected. Persons or groups can instantaneously share photos or videos, coordinate events, and/or provide updates that are of interest to their friends, family, or customer base. Social media sites can also serve as a platform to enable persons and groups to express their First Amendment rights, including their political ideals, religious beliefs, or views on government and government agencies. Many government entities, including law enforcement agencies, are also using social media sites as a tool to interact with the public, such as posting information on crime trends, updating citizens on community events, or providing tips on keeping citizens safe. Social media sites have become useful tools for the public and law enforcement entities, but criminals are also using these sites for wrongful purposes. Social media sites may be used to coordinate a criminal-related flash mob or plan a robbery, or terrorist groups may use social media sites to recruit new members and espouse their criminal intentions. Social media sites are increasingly being used to instigate or conduct criminal activity, and law enforcement personnel should understand the concept and function of these sites, as well as know how social media tools and resources can be used to prevent, mitigate, respond to, and investigate criminal activity. To ensure that information obtained from social media sites for investigative and criminal intelligence-related activity is used lawfully while also ensuring that individuals’ and groups’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties are protected, law enforcement agencies should have a social media policy (or include the use of social media sites in other information-related policies). This social media policy should communicate how information from social media sites can be utilized by law enforcement, as well as the differing levels of engagement—such as apparent/overt, discrete, or covert—with subjects when law enforcement personnel access social media sites, in addition to specifying the authorization requirements, if any, associated with each level of engagement. These levels of engagement may range from law enforcement personnel “viewing” information that is publicly available on social media sites to the creation of an undercover profile to directly interact with an identified criminal subject online. Articulating the agency’s levels of engagement and authorization requirements is critical to agency personnel’s understanding of how information from social media sites can be used by law enforcement and is a key aspect of a social media policy. Social media sites and resources should be viewed as another tool in the law enforcement investigative toolbox and should be used in a manner that adheres to the same principles that govern all law enforcement activity, such as actions must be lawful and personnel must have a defined objective and a valid law enforcement purpose for gathering, maintaining, or sharing personally identifiable information (PII). In addition, any law enforcement action involving undercover activity (including developing an undercover profile on a social media site) should address supervisory approval, required documentation of activity, periodic reviews of activity, and the audit of undercover processes and behavior. Law enforcement agencies should also not collect or maintain the political, religious, or social views, associations, or activities of any individual or group, association, corporation, business, partnership, or organization unless there is a legitimate public safety purpose. These aforementioned principles help define and place limitations on law enforcement actions and ensure that individuals’ and groups’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties are diligently protected. When law enforcement personnel adhere to these principles, they are ensuring that their actions are performed with the highest respect for the law and the community they serve, consequently fostering the community’s trust in and support for law enforcement action. The Developing a Policy on the Use of Social Media in Intelligence and Investigative Activities: Guidance and Recommendations is designed to guide law enforcement agency personnel through the development of a social media policy by identifying elements that should be considered when drafting a policy, as well as issues to consider when developing a policy, focusing on privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties protections. This resource can also be used to modify and enhance existing policies to include social media information. All law enforcement agencies, regardless of size and jurisdiction, can benefit from the guidance identified in this resource. The key elements identified in this resource can be applied to “traditional” social media sites (such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) and are also applicable as different and new types of social media sites emerge and proliferate. As a policy is developed, the agency privacy officer and/or legal counsel should be consulted and involved in the process. Additionally, many agencies have an existing privacy policy that includes details on how to safeguard privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties, and an agency’s social media-related policy should also communicate how these protections will be upheld when using information obtained from social media sites. Social media sites have emerged as a method for instantaneous connection among people and groups; information obtained from these sites can also be a valuable resource for law enforcement in the prevention, identification, investigation, and prosecution of crimes. To that end, law enforcement leadership should ensure that their agency has a social media policy that outlines the associated procedures regarding the use of social media-related information in investigative and criminal intelligence activities, while articulating the importance of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties protections. Moreover, the same procedures and prohibitions placed on law enforcement officers when patrolling the community or conducting an investigation should be in place when agency personnel are accessing, viewing, collecting, using, storing, retaining, and disseminating information obtained from social media sites. As these sites increase in popularity and usefulness, a social media policy is vital to ensuring that information from social media used in criminal intelligence and investigative activities is lawfully used, while also ensuring that individuals’ and groups’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties are diligently protected. Details: Washington, DC: Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative, 2013. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 29, 2013 at: https://it.ojp.gov/gist/Document/132 Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: https://it.ojp.gov/gist/Document/132 Shelf Number: 128845 Keywords: Criminal IntelligenceCriminal InvestigationsInformation TechnologyIntelligence GatheringMedia and CommunicationsSocial Media |
Author: Bartlett, Jamie Title: @metpoliceuk: How Twitter is Changing Modern Policing: The Case of the Woolrich Aftermath Summary: Major events – natural disasters, football matches, terrorist attacks – are increasingly accompanied by a complex, varied and evolving cloud of reaction on Twitter: questions, interpretations, condemnations, jokes, rumours and insults. This surge of online information, shadowing the event itself, is often called a ‘twitcident’. This new kind of aftermath opens new opportunities and challenges for policing.i Inherently amenable to collection, measurement and analysis, they can be harnessed as sources of social media intelligence – ‘SOCMINT’ – in a number of ways to keep society safe: as important sources of evidence; as situational awareness in contexts that are changing rapidly, as a way of crowd-sourcing intelligence, and to answer a backdrop of strategic research questions, such as how society will change in result of the event itself.ii Twitcidents do not just provide intelligence for the police, however. They also put pressure on the police themselves to provide information, intelligence and, where possible, public assurances. As we have argued elsewhere, social media is an increasingly important aspect of modern policing, particularly for intelligence collection and communication.iii It is now apparent that social media is an important part of any large incident or emergency response. As people continue to transfer their social lives onto these digital-social spaces, the benefits of effectively harnessing and responding to twitcidents will increase, and so will the risk of failing to do so. To understand the specific challenges and opportunities this presents, we have chosen to dissect in detail the tweets directed at @metpoliceuk immediately before, during and after the alleged murder of Lee Rigby by two individuals – believed to be Islamist extremists – in Woolwich at 14:20 on 22nd May 2013. After the murder, the alleged assailants remained at the scene, and spoke to, and were filmed by, bystanders. First unarmed, then armed police arrived and, following an exchange of fire, the two men were wounded and taken to hospital. As of May 29th the Metropolitan’s Police Twitter account (@metpoliceuk) was the most followed police account in the UK, with 114,369 followers. Up to the afternoon of the 22nd, the account was lively. Two online petitions were driving tweets to the police account, one to demand additional information be released from the McCann investigation, and the other demanding the arrest of the self-exiled Pakistani politician Altaf Hussain. BBC Breaking News’ Twitter account tweeted at 3.50pm that: Police officers called to incident in Woolwich, south-east London at 14:20 BST, @metpoliceuk confirm. No further details at present Quickly, news of the attacks began to circulate on Twitter, and video footage of the assailants – including one of the suspects talking to a bystander – was uploaded onto YouTube and other platforms. By the late afternoon, members of the English Defence League took to Twitter to organise a flash demonstration in Woolwich to express outrage at the murder; and by the early evening around 100 supporters clashed with police before being dispersed at around 11pm. In order to understand how people reacted on Twitter to these events, from May 17th to May 23rd, we ‘scraped’ all 19,344 Tweets that contained the identifying ‘@tag’ - @metpoliceUK. A Twitter scrape is the result of filtering the recent public Twitter timeline with a set of query terms through Twitter’s ‘Search Application Programming Interface’. All Tweets matching @metpoliceuk were in this way accessed, and downloaded into a MySQL database. With this corpus of collected tweets three simple analyses were conducted: Overall rates and volumes of tweets over time; A qualitative analysis of tweets to create overall ‘types’. Several thousand Tweets were manually placed into categories until ‘saturation’ – wherein new tweets neither required new categories to be created, or the boundaries of existing categories to be revised; The formal coding of 500 randomly selected tweets into these categories to establish the proportional breakdown of the dataset overall. This was done twice, the first, over the 24 hours of the 22nd, the second over the entire four days period during which the data was collected. This was in order to provide some broader analysis and comparison. Details: London: Demos, 2013. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 1, 2013 at: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/_metpoliceuk.pdf?1371661838 Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/_metpoliceuk.pdf?1371661838 Shelf Number: 129230 Keywords: Information TechnologyMediaPolicing (U.K.)Social MediaTwitter |
Author: De Choudhury, Munmun Title: "Narco" Emotions: Affect and Desensitization in Social Media during the Mexican Drug War Summary: Social media platforms have emerged as prominent information sharing ecosystems in the context of a variety of recent crises, ranging from mass emergencies, to wars and political conflicts. We study affective responses in social media and how they might indicate desensitization to violence experienced in communities embroiled in an armed conflict. Specifically, we examine three established affect measures: negative affect, activation, and dominance as observed on Twitter in relation to a number of statistics on protracted violence in four major cities afflicted by the Mexican Drug War. During a two year period (Aug 2010-Dec 2012), while violence was on the rise in these regions, our findings show a decline in negative emotional expression as well as a rise in emotional arousal and dominance in Twitter posts: aspects known to be psychological markers of desensitization. We discuss the implications of our work for behavioral health, facilitating rehabilitation efforts in communities enmeshed in an acute and persistent urban warfare, and the impact on civic engagement. Details: Redmond, VA: Microsoft Research, 2014. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 29, 2014 at: http://research.microsoft.com/pubs/208580/affect_desensitize-v29.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Mexico URL: http://research.microsoft.com/pubs/208580/affect_desensitize-v29.pdf Shelf Number: 132401 Keywords: Drug War (Mexico)Social MediaSocial Media, TwitterViolence |
Author: Berg, Chris Title: A social problem, not a technological problem: Bullying, cyberbullying and public policy Summary: Bullying among children is a significant and serious issue. In recent years, the phenomenon described as "cyberbullying" has received a large amount of social, political, and academic attention. The Commonwealth government has announced that it is seeking legislative change to deal with cyberbullying. The government plans to institute a Children's e-Safety Commissioner with power to takedown harmful content directed at children from the social media sites. The Children's e-Safety Commissioner is a serious threat to freedom of speech. The purpose of this paper is to outline the scope of the cyberbullying problem, the conceptual framework within it must be understood, and develop principles by which policymakers can address the cyberbullying problem. Without understanding the cyberbullying phenomenon it is impossible to devise effective policy that will not have unintended consequences and threaten basic liberties like freedom of speech. Unfortunately it is not clear that the government has clearly understood the causes, consequences, and characteristics of cyberbullying. This paper argues that cyberbullying is a subset of bullying. It is bullying by electronic means. It is not a problem of a different kind from bullying in an offline environment Details: Melbourne: Institute of Public Affairs, 2014. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 12, 2014 at: http://www.ipa.org.au/portal/uploads/submission_V6.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Australia URL: http://www.ipa.org.au/portal/uploads/submission_V6.pdf Shelf Number: 133004 Keywords: Computer CrimesCyber-bullying (Australia)CybercrimeSocial Media |
Author: Opportunity Agenda Title: An Overview of Public Opinion and Discourse on Criminal Justice Issues Summary: Our report, "An Overview of Public Opinion and Discourse on Criminal Justice Issues," examines the American public discourse on crime, the criminal justice system, and criminal justice reform. The report is divided into four sections. - Public Opinion Research: This section seeks to understand the extent and the direction of America's changing attitudes toward the criminal justice system. - Media Coverage of Criminal Justice Reform: This part analyzes how mainstream media covers criminal justice reform issues. - Media Coverage of Racial Justice Issues: This analysis looks at the coverage of racial profiling in major U.S. newspapers, broadcast news shows, and popular news blogs. - Criminal Justice and Social Media: This section analyzes and explains social media content, engagement, and trends on discourse around criminal justice. The report seeks to help reform leaders, organizations, and allies to build public support for effective solutions to criminal justice issues. It also provides useful insights for journalists, news outlets, and commentators who cover-or could cover-criminal justice. America's Views on Criminal Justice Despite America's decreasing crime rates, the country's criminal justice system is larger than ever. The economic and social impact of incarcerating 2.3 million Americans affects many communities, homes, and families alike. Nevertheless, Americans' views on the criminal justice system have changed, creating the environment for key stakeholders in government agencies, the president, and the legislative branch to hear advocates for criminal justice reform and enact positive changes to the system. Moving Forward The nation's experiment with mass incarceration is being scrutinized and critiqued as never before, which brings criminal justice reform to the public policy agenda. Understanding today's public discourse-how Americans think, feel, and communicate about crime-must be the foundation for bringing about this paradigm shift going forward. Details: New York: Opportunity Agenda, 2014. 124p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 10, 2014 at: http://opportunityagenda.org/files/field_file/2014.08.23-CriminalJusticeReport-FINAL_0.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://opportunityagenda.org/files/field_file/2014.08.23-CriminalJusticeReport-FINAL_0.pdf Shelf Number: 134011 Keywords: Criminal Justice PolicyCriminal Justice Reform (U.S.)Mass CommunicationsPublic OpinionRacial JusticeRacial ProfilingSocial Media |
Author: Zastany, Robert A., Jr. Title: Assessing the Utility of Social Media for Adult Probation Summary: The Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court in Lake County, Illinois has stated through its Mission and Vision statements that it is committed to using new technology to provide increased services to its stakeholders. The Division of Adult Probation Services is responsible for monitoring all adults sentenced to a term of probation that reside in the county. Within the division, there are various programs and services offered to those on probation. Currently, there is no method to utilize social media. A survey was completed with probation officers, public service clerks, adult probation managers, and senior managers to identify how likely they are to embrace the use of social media, for what purposes they feel social media should be used, and to obtain their perceptions about the impact that social media can have on current programs and services. For the purpose of the survey, Probation's Cognitive Outreach Group (COG) and Public Service Employment (PSE) were used to examine potential benefits that social media could have. In addition to the survey, five COG officers, five public service clerks, two adult managers, and two senior managers were interviewed to obtain specific feedback on how they perceive the use of social media will impact adult probation and its programs and services. Results were mixed, in that there were some individuals who felt that social media did not have a place in probation, while others embraced its functionality and encouraged its implementation. Staff identified management as a possible barrier to implementing social media. However, managers responded as being receptive to implementing social media and noted several potential benefits. Those surveyed and interviewed were able to provide multiple ways they felt social media could have a positive impact on probation. While they also recognized numerous barriers must be addressed prior to implementation, the general perception was that it is feasible for social media to be implemented in probation and that social media can have a positive impact on its operations. Details: Williamsburg, VA: Institute for Court Management, 2013. 103p. Source: Internet Resource: ICM Fellows Program: Accessed February 4, 2015 at: http://ncsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/criminal/id/227 Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://ncsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/criminal/id/227 Shelf Number: 134528 Keywords: Adult Probation (U.S.)Probation OfficersSocial Media |
Author: Yu, Xiao Title: Moving Targets: Tracking Online Sales of Illegal Wildlife Products in China Summary: Transactions for illegal wildlife products, particularly ivory, are shifting away from online retailers and onto social media platforms according to TRAFFIC's research into the Chinese-language online retail community. This is a key finding of a new report, Moving targets: Tracking online sales of illegal wildlife products in China, which discloses the results of routine market monitoring of China's online retailers that began in 2006 and is released today, World Wildlife Day. At its peak in March 2012, more than 4,000 new advertisements per month for illegal wildlife products were appearing online on Chinese language online retail websites, finds the new report. More than half of the illegal products offered comprised ivory items. However, following advertisement removal and blocking of code words used to describe illegal products through regular exchange with e-commerce and enforcement agencies by TRAFFIC, this fell dramatically to around 1,500 from July 2012 and has remained around that level ever since. One change has been an increase in the number of code words used by sellers to conceal the identity of their goods, from 15 code words used in 2012 to 64 identified and monitored by TRAFFIC today. At least 22 code words exist for ivory, including terms such as "African materials, yellow materials, white plastic, jelly". All 64 code words are searched each month by TRAFFIC on 25 e-commerce and antique selling websites for eight wildlife products - ivory, rhino horn, Tiger bone, hawksbill shells, pangolin scales, leopard bones, Saiga horn and Hornbill casques. There has also been evidence of the move to social media, where dealers release photos and information about illegal wildlife products in order to attract and interact with potential customers. Some dealers also use "agents" to extend their audiences by re-posting the information about illegal wildlife products onto their own social media platform. Details: Cambridge, UK; TRAFFIC International, 2015. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Traffic Briefing: Accessed April 15, 2015 at: http://www.traffic.org/storage/China-monitoring-report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: China URL: http://www.traffic.org/storage/China-monitoring-report.pdf Shelf Number: 135232 Keywords: Computer CrimesIllegal Wildlife TradeInternet CrimesSocial MediaWildlife Crime |
Author: LexisNexis Title: Social Media Use in Law Enforcement: Crime prevention and investigative activities continue to drive usage Summary: Overview Social media is increasingly valuable to the way law enforcement professionals operate in both crime prevention and investigation. However, as social media use becomes more prevalent, there remain many questions regarding how exactly it is utilized to optimal effect in criminal investigations. LexisNexis, in a follow-up to its initial study in 2012, sought to further examine the law enforcement community's understanding of, and ongoing efforts to leverage social media. The LexisNexis 2014 Social Media Use in Law Enforcement report looks at current practices and processes and how the landscape has changed over the last two years in addition to new survey research areas. Details: Los Angeles: LexisNexis, 2014. 9p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 4, 2015 at: http://www.lexisnexis.com/risk/downloads/whitepaper/2014-social-media-use-in-law-enforcement.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.lexisnexis.com/risk/downloads/whitepaper/2014-social-media-use-in-law-enforcement.pdf Shelf Number: 135884 Keywords: Crime PreventionPolice InvestigationsSocial Media |
Author: Gotsis, Tom Title: Revenge pornography, privacy and the law Summary: Privacy issues are currently on the agenda of public debate, largely as a consequence of technological developments which have created new avenues for the invasion of privacy. On 24 June 2015 the Legislative Council agreed to a Motion by Mick Veitch MLC for the Standing Committee on Law and Justice to inquire into remedies for the serious invasion of privacy in NSW. The terms of reference of the Inquiry are: (a) the adequacy of existing remedies for serious invasions of privacy, including the equitable action of breach of confidence; (b) whether a statutory cause of action for serious invasions of privacy should be introduced; and (c) any other related matter. In a media release issued by the Standing Committee on Law and Justice, the Committee Chair, Natasha Maclaren-Jones MLC, made reference to the issue of revenge pornography, stating: The proliferation of social media has meant that invasions of privacy through online forums, such as the alarming trend of jilted lovers posting sexually explicit photographs of ex-partners on the internet, has immediate and vast reaching repercussions. It is in this context that this paper considers: - The role of the criminal law in respect to revenge pornography, particularly in light of new offences against revenge pornography introduced in South Australia, Victoria and the United Kingdom. - The adequacy of existing civil law remedies for serious invasions of privacy by means of revenge pornography, including the equitable action of breach of confidence. Details: Sydney: New South Wales Parliamentary Research Service, 2015. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: e-brief Issue 7/2015: Accessed August 17, 2015 at: http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/parlment/publications.nsf/0/7E4E6390E36EEB86CA257E990004CE77/$File/revenge+pornography+privacy+and+the+law.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Australia URL: http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/parlment/publications.nsf/0/7E4E6390E36EEB86CA257E990004CE77/$File/revenge+pornography+privacy+and+the+law.pdf Shelf Number: 136440 Keywords: Internet CrimesInvasion of PrivacyPornographySocial Media |
Author: Berger, J.M. Title: The ISIS Twitter Census: Defining and describing the population of ISIS supporters on Twitter Summary: The Islamic State, known as ISIS or ISIL, has exploited social media, most notoriously Twitter, to send its propaganda and messaging out to the world and to draw in people vulnerable to radicalization. By virtue of its large number of supporters and highly organized tactics, ISIS has been able to exert an outsized impact on how the world perceives it, by disseminating images of graphic violence (including the beheading of Western journalists and aid workers and more recently, the immolation of a Jordanian air force pilot), while using social media to attract new recruits and inspire lone actor attacks. Although much ink has been spilled on the topic of ISIS activity on Twitter, very basic questions remain unanswered, including such fundamental issues as how many Twitter users support ISIS, who they are, and how many of those supporters take part in its highly organized online activities. Previous efforts to answer these questions have relied on very small segments of the overall ISIS social network. Because of the small, cellular nature of that network, the examination of particular subsets such as foreign fighters in relatively small numbers, may create misleading conclusions. The information vacuum extends to - and is particularly acute within - the sometimes heated discussion of how the West should respond to this online campaign. While there are legitimate debates about the bounds of free speech and the complex relationship between private companies and the public interest, some have argued against suspending terrorist social media accounts on the basis that suspensions are not effective at impeding extremist activity online. These arguments that are usually predicated on very small samples of potentially misleading data, when data is proffered at all. We set out to answer some of these important questions using innovative techniques to create a large, representative sample of accounts that can be clearly defined as ISIS supporters, and to attempt to define the boundaries of ISIS's online social network. The goals of the project included: - Create a demographic snapshot of ISIS supporters on Twitter using a very large and accurate sample of accounts (addressed in sections 1 and 2 of this paper). - Outline a methodology for discovering and defining relevant accounts, to serve as a basis for future research using consistent comparison data (section 3). - Create preliminary data and a path to further investigate ISIS-supporting accounts suspended by Twitter and the effects of suspensions (section 2.5). Our findings, based on a sample of 20,000 ISIS supporter accounts, include: - From September through December 2014, we estimate that at least 46,000 Twitter accounts were used by ISIS supporters, although not all of them were active at the same time. - The 46,000 figure is our most conservative estimate for this time frame. Our maximum estimate is in the neighborhood of 70,000 accounts; however, we believe the truth is closer to the low end of the range (sections 1.1, 3.5, 3.6, 3.8). - Typical ISIS supporters were located within the organization's territories in Syria and Iraq, as well as in regions contested by ISIS. Hundreds of ISIS-supporting accounts sent tweets with location metadata embedded (section 1.4). - Almost one in five ISIS supporters selected English as their primary language when using Twitter. Three quarters selected Arabic (section 1.5). - ISIS-supporting accounts had an average of about 1,000 followers each, considerably higher than an ordinary Twitter user. ISIS-supporting accounts were also considerably more active than non-supporting users (section 2). - Much of ISIS's social media success can be attributed to a relatively small group of hyperactive users, numbering between 500 and 2,000 accounts, which tweet in concentrated bursts of high volume (section 2.1). - A minimum of 1,000 ISIS-supporting accounts were suspended between September and December 2014, and we saw evidence of potentially thousands more. Accounts that tweeted most often and had the most followers were most likely to be suspended (section 2.5.1). - At the time our data collection launched in September 2014, Twitter began to suspend large numbers of ISIS-supporting accounts. While this prevented us from creating a pre-suspension dataset, we were able to gather information on how the removal of accounts affected the overall network (section 2.5.4). - Account suspensions do have concrete effects in limiting the reach and scope of ISIS activities on social media. They do not, at the current level of implementation, eliminate those activities, and cannot be expected to do this. Some critics argue suspensions are ineffective because ISIS propaganda is still available on Twitter. Any balanced evaluation of current levels of suspension activity clearly demonstrates that total interdiction is not the goal. The qualitative debate is over how suspensions affect the performance of the network and whether a different level of pressure might produce a different result (sections 2.5, 4.2). While it is possible to target suspensions in a manner that would be far more devastating to ISIS networks, we do not advise such an approach for several reasons (sections 4.1 and 4.3). - The process of suspension does create certain new risks. Most importantly, while suspensions appear to have created obstacles to supporters joining ISIS's social network, they also isolate ISIS supporters online. This could increase the speed and intensity of radicalization for those who do manage to enter the network, and hinder organic social pressures that could lead to deradicalization (section 4.3). - Further study is required to evaluate the unintended consequences of suspension campaigns and their attendant trade-offs. Fundamentally, tampering with social networks is a form of social engineering, and acknowledging this fact raises many new, difficult questions (section 4.3). - Social media companies and the U.S government must work together to devise appropriate responses to extremism on social media. Although discussions of this issue often frame government intervention as an infringement on free speech, in reality, social media companies currently regulate speech on their platforms without oversight or disclosures of how suspensions are applied (section 4.4). Approaches to the problem of extremist use of social media are most likely to succeed when they are mainstreamed into wider dialogues among the wide range of community, private, and public stakeholders. Details: Washington, DC: Brookings Institute, Center for Middle East Policy, 2015. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Analysis Paper No. 20: Accessed November 27, 2015 at: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2015/03/isis-twitter-census-berger-morgan/isis_twitter_census_berger_morgan.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2015/03/isis-twitter-census-berger-morgan/isis_twitter_census_berger_morgan.pdf Shelf Number: 137342 Keywords: ExtremismExtremist GroupsIslamic State (ISIS)Radical GroupsRadicalizationSocial MediaTerrorismTerrorists |
Author: Bartlett, Jamie Title: The State of the Art 2015: A literature review of social media intelligence capabilities for counter-terrorism Summary: This paper is a review of how information and insight can be drawn from open social media sources. It focuses on the specific research techniques that have emerged, the capabilities they provide, the possible insights they offer, and the ethical and legal questions they raise. These techniques are considered relevant and valuable in so far as they can help to maintain public safety by preventing terrorism, preparing for it, protecting the public from it and pursuing its perpetrators. The report also considers how far this can be achieved against the backdrop of radically changing technology and public attitudes towards surveillance. This is an updated version of a 2013 report paper on the same subject, State of the Art. Since 2013, there have been significant changes in social media, how it is used by terrorist groups, and the methods being developed to make sense of it. In particular, the context in which this research took place has changed in a number of significant ways. First, there have been continuing concerns about internet surveillance and privacy following the revelations of NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Second, and partly as a result, there have been changes in the way that people use social media, and indeed in social media companies and platforms themselves. Third, so-called Islamic State (IS) made social media a central component of their modus operandi - particularly for propagandistic purposes. Finally, the methods and software used to make sense of social media have continued to improve. Social media research has emerged as a practice, but is still not yet a coherent academic discipline or distinctive intelligence tradecraft. It is neither a distinct area of study, nor driven by a united research community. It is conducted across the public, private and academic sectors, spanning disciplines from the computer sciences and ethnography to advertising and brand management. Its aims range from understanding the topography of social networks comprising millions of individuals to the deep, textured knowledge of the social worlds of individuals and small groups. As such, techniques and approaches often reflect specific disciplinary traditions and rarely refer to those found elsewhere. Social media research is also fragmented by platform. There is already a distinct nascent discipline surrounding Twitter, driven by free access to millions of tweets, an easily available Application Programming Interface (API) and fewer concerns about privacy and intrusion. Since 2008, the corpus of work on 'Twitterology' has grown from a handful to hundreds of research papers, covering everything from topic identification to event detection and political forecasting. Details: London: Demos, 2015. 98p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2015 at: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/State_of_the_Arts_2015.pdf?1442411063 Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/State_of_the_Arts_2015.pdf?1442411063 Shelf Number: 137369 Keywords: Counter-TerrorismSocial MediaSurveillance Terrorism |
Author: Palmer, Tink Title: Digital Dangers: The impact of technology on the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and young people Summary: The internet has transformed how we all live, learn, work and communicate. Over the last twenty years the ways in which we interact and engage have evolved beyond imagination; for many people, the world online is as real as the world offline. For children - at the forefront of the digital revolution - the internet has created myriad opportunities. But it has also created risks. For every new piece of technology that can change how children access information, communicate or find entertainment, a new danger may present itself in a way that children, families and society may not immediately understand. Barnardo's is the largest provider of support to at risk and sexually exploited children in the UK, and runs specialist services in 47 local areas across the country. In 2014-15, these services supported 3,175 children, a 49 per cent increase on the preceding year. Our project workers have witnessed first-hand how the internet has transformed the nature of abuse and sexual exploitation. The concerns that we raise in this report build upon evidence that started to emerge when Barnardo's published Just one click! in 2004. This was one of the first publications in the UK to address the growing concerns amongst professionals about the ways in which children and young people may be at risk of harm online. More than a decade later, and now that the true scale of sexual exploitation of children in the UK is finally beginning to be recognised, it is even more crucial that we better understand the risks posed by the internet, and how we can address them. What is clear from the report is that the ways in which children can be sexually exploited online do not always follow the models of sexual exploitation that we are familiar with. Children at risk may be younger than those referred to services for offline sexual exploitation, and may not fit into standard definitions of 'vulnerable'. What is also clear from the report is that the problem of online sexual abuse of children impacts on the work of Barnardo's across all projects. As communication becomes ever more private and personal, due to mobile devices and instant connectivity, it can become all the more difficult to identify who is at risk, how they are at risk and where they are at risk. It is vital that policy and practice recognises the particular vulnerabilities that children now face, and respond to them. Drawing on research conducted with our services, this report makes a number of recommendations relating to service provision; training for professionals; and policy change. The recommendations are wide-ranging and emphasise the part that we can all play in protecting our children online. Details: Barkingside, Ilford, UK: Barnardo's, 2016. 92p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 13, 2016 at: http://www.barnardos.org.uk/onlineshop/pdf/digital_dangers_report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.barnardos.org.uk/onlineshop/pdf/digital_dangers_report.pdf Shelf Number: 137575 Keywords: Child Sexual AbuseChild Sexual ExploitationComputer CrimesInternet CrimesOnline CommunicationOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Cannon, Ashley Title: Responding to Social Media Norms: Development a Comprehensive Strategy to Promote Digital Citizenship Summary: Social media has become a part of everyday life. All types of real-world behavior are now showcased online-including criminal behavior, bullying, threats and the glorification of violence. Increasingly, youth associated with antisocial peer groups-such as neighborhood-based "crews" engaging in violent rivalries-use social media as a tool to create criminal opportunities and amplify conflicts. Unfortunately, in many cases, this type of social media usage can lead to real-life violence or other serious ramifications, such as arrest. The Crime Commission is engaged in several initiatives that seek to provide social media users with tools and information to help them stay safe both on- and off-line, including the development of an innovative new program that trains antiviolence professionals as "E-Responders" to intervene and deescalate violence provoked on social media. As part of this work, this series, "Social Media & Real-World Consequences", provides readers with an overview of the ways youth are communicating on social media, the associated risks of these communications turning into real-world violence, and the range of legal, educational and professional consequences youth may face in the real-world. High-risk youth engage in numerous types of dangerous communication on social media, including threatening and taunting others (often those from rival crews), promoting their self-image and crew, mobilizing others for disorderly or criminal activity, and recruiting other youth to join their crew. These types of communication are highly visible and exist beyond private messages and chats. Status updates, comments, photos, and videos often contain content prohibited by platform providers; however, they remain on the sites, fueling conflict. Moreover, youth often use social media to acquire weapons for attacks and protection. These dangerous communications have an extremely high risk of going from virtual to violent, and often result in very serious consequences in the real-world. When these consequences include violence, such as fights and shootings, they are often immediately documented and discussed online, increasing the likelihood of retaliation and further perpetuating the cycle of street violence. Taunts, threats, and intimidation on social media often lead to in-person fights, which can have deadly consequences. Youth often post continuous information about their ongoing conflicts, including violent intentions prior to carrying out shootings. This was the case in the Bryant Park skating rink shooting in November 2013, as well as in a shooting that occurred at a house party in Brownsville in January 2014, in which a 16-year-old was killed. The Bedford-Stuyvesant bus shooting in March 2014, which led to the death of a straphanger, was instigated by months of taunting on social media between two rival crews. Beyond violence and victimization, these harmful behaviors can lead to a wide range of legal, educational and professional consequences in the real-world. For example, police use social media to help identify, track, and build cases against individuals, culminating in indictments, such as the June 2014 takedown of 103 youth in West Harlem. Schools, financial aid providers, and employers also use social media profiles as a form of background check when considering an individual for admission, scholarship, or employment, and to inform disciplinary actions-something many people are not aware of when they post recklessly on social media. Details: New York: Citizens Crime Commission on New York City, 2015. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Social Media & Real World Consequences, Volume II: Accessed January 25, 2016 at: http://www.nycrimecommission.org/pdfs/CCC-Social-Media-Vol2-Responding-To-Norms.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.nycrimecommission.org/pdfs/CCC-Social-Media-Vol2-Responding-To-Norms.pdf Shelf Number: 137653 Keywords: At-Risk Youth Delinquency Prevention Online Communications Online Victimization Social Media Violence Violence-Prevention Violent Crime Youth Violence |
Author: Trend Micro Title: Ascending the Ranks. The Brazilian Cybercriminal Underground in 2015 Summary: The fastest route to cybercriminal superstardom can be found in Latin America, particularly in Brazil. Any criminal aspirant can gain overnight notoriety with just a little bit of moxie and the right tools and training, which come in abundance in the country's untamed underground. This past year, we observed an influx of new players in the scene. Most of them are young and bold individuals with no regard for the law. Unlike their foreign counterparts, they do not rely so much on the Deep Web for transactions. They exhibit blatant disregard for the law by the way they use the Surface Web, particularly popular social media sites like Facebook and other public forums and apps. Using online aliases on these sites, they make names for themselves, flagrantly showing off all the spoils of their own mini operations. Although they share what they know to peers, they mostly work independently, trying to outdo the competition and ascend the ranks to become the top players in their chosen fields. Online banking is their biggest target; this makes banking malware and respective how-to tutorials prevalent. This trend remains consistent with what we reported two years ago. But since then, new offerings have also sprouted, including localized ransomware and personally identifiable information (PII)-querying services. Illegal goods that were only peddled in Brazil's backstreets have likewise crossed over to the underground. Anyone can now purchase counterfeit money and fake diplomas online. The brazenness of cybercriminal operations should come as no surprise. Brazilian law enforcement agencies already have a lot on their plate; budding criminals online are only additions to their list of challenges. Although they have started investing in the fight against this growing problem, will their efforts be enough to at least slow down its pace. Details: Irving/Las Colinas, TX: Trend Micro, 2015. 320. Source: Internet Resource: TrendLabs Research Paper: Accessed February 1, 2016 at: https://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/security-intelligence/white-papers/wp-ascending-the-ranks.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil URL: https://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/security-intelligence/white-papers/wp-ascending-the-ranks.pdf Shelf Number: 137721 Keywords: Bank FraudCounterfeitingCybercrimeOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Saltman, Erin Marie Title: The Role of Prevent in Countering Online Extremism Summary: The following White Paper addresses the role of the UK government and social media companies and Internet service providers (ISP) in monitoring and policing the Internet for extremist and/or terrorism-related content. This paper seeks to analyse the effectiveness of the UK government's Prevent strategy and provide recommendations for its improvement in line with the current nature of the threat. Currently, the two biggest challenges for UK counter-terrorism are the radicalisation and recruitment of individuals by the jihadist organisation Islamic State (IS) and the use of the Internet by IS and other extremist organisations to spread unwanted and potentially dangerous ideologies and narratives internationally. This subject is of great importance, especially as government debates how best to tackle extremism and adequately implement counter-extremism measures both in real terms and online. Sections 2 and 3 discuss the framework of the government's Prevent strategy, while sections 4 through 9 detail the challenges extremism and terrorism-related content online pose. Section 10 addresses the role of Prevent in countering online extremism in the UK. Details: London: Quilliam Foundation, 2014. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: White Paper: Accessed February 12, 2016 at: http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/white-paper-the-role-of-prevent-in-countering-online-extremism.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/white-paper-the-role-of-prevent-in-countering-online-extremism.pdf Shelf Number: 137849 Keywords: Counter-ExtremismExtremismExtremist GroupsOnline CommunicationsRadical GroupsRadicalizationSocial Media |
Author: Manning, Colin Title: Old Laws, New Crime: Challenges of Prosecuting Cybercrime in Ireland Summary: Developments in the law often lag behind social and technological changes. Some areas of the law, such as contract law, have adapted elegantly to technological developments. Criminal law, however, is less adaptable since the courts must interpret statutes more strictly. The traditional approach to cybercrime views computer related crimes as recent incarnations of existing crimes. Such approach is understandable since it firmly roots the law in familiar territory. But extending the reach of existing law and existing legal concepts my eventually stretch them beyond the point where they continue to be appropriate. Determination to address cybercrime entirely within pre-existing legal concepts may result in legislation that especially broad or vague. It may also generate statutes poorly adapted to the peculiarities of the technology. More importantly, however, this approach may result in delayed recognition of entirely new categories of crime. Details: Cork: Cork Institute of Technology, 2016. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2016 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2729204 Year: 2016 Country: Ireland URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2729204 Shelf Number: 137924 Keywords: Computer Crimes Cybercrime Social Media |
Author: National Crime Agency (UK) Title: Emerging new threat in online dating. Initial trends in internet dating-initiated serious sexual assaults Summary: The National Crime Agency's Serious Crime Analysis Section (SCAS) has identified a significant increase in the number of reports to UK police forces about serious sexual assaults carried out by strangers that have been initiated through online dating. Reports indicate that these offences took place during the first face-to-face meeting between the victim and the offender after they initially met online. This emerging threat appears to be a result of the increasing popularity of online dating - including free and subscription services, dating websites, apps and 'hook up' services - combined with the behaviours and expectations fostered by an online environment. Early analysis indicates that the online dating phenomenon has produced a new type of sexual offender. These offenders are less likely to have criminal convictions, but instead exploit the ease of access and arm-chair approach to dating websites. This is aided by potential victims not thinking of them as strangers, but someone they have got to know. Details: London: National Crime Agency, 2016. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 24, 2016 at: http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/670-emerging-new-threat-in-online-dating-initial-trends-in-internet-dating-initiated-serious-sexual-assaults/file Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/670-emerging-new-threat-in-online-dating-initial-trends-in-internet-dating-initiated-serious-sexual-assaults/file Shelf Number: 137948 Keywords: Computer CrimesInternet CrimesOnline DatingOnline VictimizationSexual AssaultsSocial Media |
Author: Vidino, Lorenzo Title: Terrorist Chatter: Understanding what terrorists talk about Summary: Since the early 2000s the Internet has become particularly crucial for the global jihadist movement. Nowhere has the Internet been more important in the movement's development than in the West. While dynamics differ from case to case, it is fair to state that almost all recent cases of radicalization in the West involve at least some digital footprint. Jihadists, whether structured groups or unaffiliated sympathizers, have long understood the importance of the Internet in general and social media, in particular. Zachary Chesser, one of the individuals studied in this report, fittingly describes social media as "simply the most dynamic and convenient form of media there is." As the trend is likely to increase, understanding how individuals make the leap to actual militancy is critically important. This study is based on the analysis of the online activities of seven individuals. They share several key traits. All seven were born or raised in the United States. All seven were active in online and offline jihadist scene around the same time (mid- to late 2000s and early 2010s). All seven were either convicted for terrorism- related offenses (or, in the case of two of the seven, were killed in terrorism- related incidents.) The intended usefulness of this study is not in making the case for monitoring online social media for intelligence purpose - an effort for which authorities throughout the West need little encouragement. Rather, the report is meant to provide potentially useful pointers in the field of counter- radicalization. Over the past ten years many Western countries have devised more or less extensive strategies aimed at preventing individuals from embracing radical ideas or de- radicalizing (or favoring the disengagement) of committed militants. (Canada is also in the process of establishing its own counter- radicalization strategy.) Radicalization is a highly complex and individualized process, often shaped by a poorly understood interaction of structural and personal factors. It is no surprise then that counter-radicalization initiatives are equally complex. Even among the seven subjects in this project there are only limited commonalities in terms of interests and views. While all seven subjects share a common background, based on the evidence of their online activities, their interests, views and approaches remain highly diverse. Some are focused mostly on religion; others are more interested in political issues. Some immediately adopt a jihadist mindset; others seem to undergo a long radicalizing trajectory. Given this diversity, it becomes obvious that any counter- radicalization needs to be tailored to the specifics of the case. Flexibility is the name of the game. Another key finding is that, at least in the beginning of their trajectories, the individuals studied here are all avid seekers of knowledge and information on religion. All refer to religious concepts and frames throughout their posts. Jihadism is a complex ideology that mixes religion and politics. But this study confirms the importance of its religious aspect for many of those who embrace violence - a fact some studies have dismissed. Any counter-radicalization effort, while not ignoring other aspects, should take into consideration the centrality of religious issues for those embracing jihadism. While for legal, political and cultural reasons it might be difficult to replicate in the West some of the religion-based counter- radicalization efforts adopted in countries such as Saudi Arabia or Singapore, the religious aspect should take a central role. The study also shows that those interested in religion are extremely inquisitive during the first stages of their radicalization trajectories. In the first months or even years of their posting life, in fact, these individuals constantly engage with fellow posters for sources and opinions on religious matters. They seem to be constantly searching for validation of their opinions. Over time, this openness seemed to slowly decrease, and by the end of the posting trajectory, there are only limited traces of questions. In the late stages, instead of questions, statements appear, often filled with confident pronouncements of their own knowledge. This attitude provides an enormous opportunity for counter- radicalization. It is arguable that it is in this phase that any kind of intervention might be more likely to succeed. Details: Ottawa: The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, 2015. 75p. Source: Internet Resource: NPSIA Working Paper Series: Working Paper No. 03, 2015: Accessed February 26, 2016 at: http://carleton.ca/npsia/wp-content/uploads/No.-03-Terrorist-Chatter.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://carleton.ca/npsia/wp-content/uploads/No.-03-Terrorist-Chatter.pdf Shelf Number: 137979 Keywords: InternetJihadismOnline CommunicationsRadicalizationSocial MediaTerrorismTerrorists |
Author: Smith, Melanie Title: Lone-Actor Terrorism. Policy Paper 3: Motivations, Political Engagement and Online Activity Summary: The aim of the Countering Lone-Actor Terrorism (CLAT) project is to understand lone-actor terrorism in a European context. The project will develop a database of lone-actor cases from across Europe. Its overall objective is to see if it is possible to discern any trends or patterns that could be translated into useful observations or recommendations for practitioners and policy-makers. This is the third of four policy papers in the CLAT series and is published by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. Preventing every single instance of lone-actor terrorism is impossible. This is particularly true in countries where freedom of thought, speech and privacy are highly valued and must be protected. The recommendations stemming from this paper's analysis provide practical suggestions for preventing instances of lone-actor terrorism - based on findings relating to motivations, political engagement and online activity - that adhere to these principles. Details: London: Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2016. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Countering Lone-Actor Terrorism Series: No. 7: Accessed March 1, 2016 at: https://rusi.org/sites/default/files/201602_clat_policy_paper_3.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Europe URL: https://rusi.org/sites/default/files/201602_clat_policy_paper_3.pdf Shelf Number: 138004 Keywords: Counter-TerrorismHomeland SecurityLone Wolf Terrorism Lone Wolf Terrorist Radicalization Social MediaTerrorism |
Author: Lee, Murray Title: Sexting among young people: Perceptions and practices Summary: The rapid development and adoption of online digital technologies has had a profound effect on the way young people conduct their social relationships. The emergence of sexting, or the distribution of sexually explicit photos and videos, has gained widespread attention and raised moral concerns. However, there remains little policy-relevant research on the prevalence of sexting and its impact on young people. This study provides a valuable contribution to the evidence base. In a survey of over 2,000 respondents, almost half reported having sent a sexual picture or video of themselves to another party, while two-thirds had received a sexual image. Sexting was prevalent among all age groups, with 13 to 15 year olds particularly likely to receive sexual images. Sexting was prominent among homosexual and bisexual respondents. Most sexting occurred between partners in committed relationships. The study found very little evidence of peer pressure or coercion to engage in sexting. Rather, young people reported engaging in the practice as a consensual and enjoyable part of their intimate relationships. The paper considers the implications of this for legal and policy responses to sexting. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2015. 9p. Source: Internet Resource: Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 508: Accessed March 2, 2016 at: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi508.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi508.pdf Shelf Number: 138009 Keywords: Child PornographyChild Sexual AbuseChild Sexual exploitationOnline CommunicationsSextingSocial Media |
Author: Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) Title: Online Activism and Social Media Usage among Indonesian Extremists Summary: Indonesian extremists have a long history of online activism, but links to the Islamic State (still better known in Indonesia by its former acronym ISIS) have raised questions about whether social media usage is significantly changing patterns of radicalisation and recruitment. The answer seems to be a qualified no, but ISIS propaganda seems nevertheless to be having an impact, persuading some Indonesians that the "caliphate" in Syria and Iraq is a well-run state where devout Muslim families can find fulfilment. Where social media has made a difference is in its ability to turn anyone with a Twitter account into a potential propagandist, meaning that the ISIS message may start with friends and family linked into online networks but quickly reaches a much broader public. Despite the heavy reliance of Indonesian extremists at home and abroad on Facebook, Twitter a"d WhatsApp and similar services, "self-radicalization" and "lone wolf " actions have been extremely rare. Personal contacts and direct face-to-face engagement in religious discussion groups (pengajian) remain important, with friendships reinforced through Internet messaging and mobile phone communication. As one analyst notes, individuals do not become supporters of ISIS by simply by being exposed to propaganda, but the propaganda can help transform them from passive supporters into active members. Social media may play a more important role in recruitment in countries like Malaysia with a very strict legal regime, where police monitoring of suspected extremists is so strict that the only relatively "safe" means of interaction is online - and then only with some form of encryption. In Indonesia, however, it is easy for extremists to hold meetings and discussions, and this is where recruitment generally begins. The very few Indonesian groups that have identified potential members through Facebook have been among the least competent, in part because they have not been able to vet potential members properly. Details: Jakarta: IPAC, 2015. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: IPAC Report No. 24: Accessed March 4, 2016 at: http://file.understandingconflict.org/file/2015/10/IPAC_24_Online_Activism_Social_Media.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Indonesia URL: http://file.understandingconflict.org/file/2015/10/IPAC_24_Online_Activism_Social_Media.pdf Shelf Number: 138034 Keywords: ExtremismExtremistsLone Wolf TerrorismRadical GroupsRadicalizationSocial Media |
Author: Freelon, Deen Title: Beyond the Hashtags: #Ferguson, #Blacklivesmatter, and the online struggle for offline justice Summary: IN 2014, A DEDICATED ACTIVIST MOVEMENT "Black Lives Matter (BLM)" ignited an urgent national conversation about police killings of unarmed Black citizens. Online tools have been anecdotally credited as critical in this effort, but researchers are only beginning to evaluate this claim. This research report examines the movement's uses of online media in 2014 and 2015. To do so, we analyze three types of data: 40.8 million tweets, over 100,000 web links, and 40 interviews of BLM activists and allies. Most of the report is devoted to detailing our findings, which include: - Although the #Blacklivesmatter hashtag was created in July 2013, it was rarely used through the summer of 2014 and did not come to signify a movement until the months after the Ferguson protests. -Social media posts by activists were essential in initially spreading Michael Brown's story nationally. - Protesters and their supporters were generally able to circulate their own narratives without relying on mainstream news outlets. - There are six major communities that consistently discussed police brutality on Twitter in 2014 and 2015: Black Lives Matter, Anonymous/Bipartisan Report, Black Entertainers, Conservatives, Mainstream News, and Young Black Twitter. - The vast majority of the communities we observed supported justice for the victims and decisively denounced police brutality. - Black youth discussed police brutality frequently, but in ways that differed substantially from how activists discussed it. - Evidence that activists succeeded in educating casual observers came in two main forms: expressions of awe and disbelief at the violent police reactions to the Ferguson protests, and conservative admissions of police brutality in the Eric Garner and Walter Scott cases. - The primary goals of social media use among our interviewees were education, amplification of marginalized voices, and structural police reform. In our concluding section, we reflect on the practical importance and implications of our findings. We hope this report contributes to the specific conversation about how Black Lives Matter and related movements have used online tools as well as to broader conversations about the general capacity of such tools to facilitate social and political change. Details: Washington, DC: Center for Media and Social Impact, American University, 2016. 92p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 5, 2016 at: http://www.cmsimpact.org/sites/default/files/beyond_the_hashtags_2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.cmsimpact.org/sites/default/files/beyond_the_hashtags_2016.pdf Shelf Number: 138109 Keywords: Deadly ForceMedia CampaignsPolice AccountabilityPolice BrutalityPolice MisconductPolice ReformPolice Use of ForceSocial Media |
Author: Williams, Lauren Title: Islamic State propaganda and the mainstream media Summary: Islamic State's use of social media to disseminate its propaganda is generally well understood. What receives far less attention is how the group also uses the Western mainstream media to spread its key messages. Islamic State tailors the production and release of its material to the needs of mainstream media outlets and to the media cycle. The danger involved in sending Western journalists to Syria and Iraq has made the media more reliant on material produced by Islamic State. The group's propaganda is often unwittingly used by the mainstream media in ways that serve Islamic State's objectives. Islamic State's propaganda effort is central to its ability to recruit new members, intimidate its opponents, and promote its legitimacy as a state. Countering that effort means more than just combatting it online and cancelling Twitter accounts. Counter-messaging efforts need to take place through the mainstream media as well as social media. The mainstream media also has a responsibility to treat Islamic State's material more critically, including by providing more contextual coverage of the conflict in Syria and Iraq, and using less sensationalist or polarising rhetoric when it discusses terrorism. The adoption of better standards and practices can help the mainstream media to limit the appeal of Islamic State propaganda in ways that do not detract from media independence and the public-s right to know. Details: Sydney: Lowry Institute for International Policy, 2016. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 5, 2016 at: http://www.lowyinstitute.org/files/islamic-state-propaganda-western-media_0.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: http://www.lowyinstitute.org/files/islamic-state-propaganda-western-media_0.pdf Shelf Number: 138119 Keywords: Extremist GroupsIslamic StateRadical GroupsRadicalizationSocial MediaTerrorismTerrorists |
Author: Schmid, Alex P. Title: Challenging the Narrative of the "Islamic State" Summary: ISIS has brought terrorist propaganda to a new level, targeting its main audiences in nearly two dozen languages with up to 90,000 tweets every day. Governments have generally been at a loss as how to counter the ISIS narrative with persuasive counter-arguments to reduce its attraction for rebellious Muslim youths in Western diasporas and Muslim-majority countries. At the core of ISIS' narrative are themes familiar to most Muslims. ISIS has appropriated and instrumentalised them for its main purpose: to expand the Caliphate proclaimed in mid-2014. In this Research Paper, Dr. Alex Schmid identifies a dozen narrative themes of ISIS and discusses them from theological, historical and other angles in an attempt to show vulnerabilities and point the way towards developing convincing counter-arguments. While the potential of this approach is demonstrated, Dr. Schmid argues that a concerted and systematic approach, based on synergetic, inter-disciplinary teamwork, is required to develop successful counter-narratives and that these need to be tested on audiences with a cultural affinity to ISIS main target groups before being utilised by credible Muslim voices who wish to engage terrorist ideologues and their potential followers with rational and faith-based arguments. The Research Paper concludes with the observation that developing counter-narratives, while necessary, is not enough. It is even more necessary to develop credible alternative narratives - narratives that can give a new sense of purpose, meaning and hope to those who feel that they have no future in their and our societies. Details: The Hague: International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, 2015. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: ICCT Research Paper: Accessed March 10, 2016 at: http://icct.nl/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ICCT-Schmid-Challenging-the-Narrative-of-the-Islamic-State-June2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://icct.nl/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ICCT-Schmid-Challenging-the-Narrative-of-the-Islamic-State-June2015.pdf Shelf Number: 138159 Keywords: Counter-Terrorism Extremist Groups Islamic StateOnline CommunicationsRadical Groups Religious ExtremismSocial MediaViolent Extremism |
Author: Winter, Charlie Title: Documenting the Virtual 'Caliphate' Summary: This report illuminates the strategic thinking behind Islamic State's propaganda machine. Building on the theoretical framework established in 'The Virtual 'Caliphate': Understanding Islamic State's Propaganda Strategy', the following analysis is based upon an exhaustive 30-day survey of Islamic State's media output. At 24 hour intervals from 17 July to 15 August 2015, the Islamic month of Shawwal, all media output from Islamic State's official outlets, from the provincial offices to the central foundations, was compiled for aggregated analysis. A total of 1146 separate events - discrete batches of propaganda - were recorded in the data collection period: a mixture of photo essays, videos, audio statements, news bulletins, posters, theological essays, and so on. After the data collection period had ended, the archive was translated and refined, as events were grouped according to their primary narrative and, if applicable, sub-narratives. Following this, the data was rigorously tested against a number of variables to determine inconsistencies and anomalies. Then, the archive was broken down into its various narrative groupings, which were qualitatively assessed both in isolation of, and respect to, each other. Details: London: Quilliam Foundation, 2015. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 10, 2016 at: http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/FINAL-documenting-the-virtual-caliphate.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/FINAL-documenting-the-virtual-caliphate.pdf Shelf Number: 138172 Keywords: CaliphateIslamic StateMediaRadical Groups Radicalization Social MediaTerrorism Terrorists |
Author: Rafiq, Haras Title: Caliphettes: Women and the Appeal of Islamic State Summary: The following report discusses the appeal of the Islamic Sate 'caliphate' to women. To do this, the authors have embarked upon a close analysis of Islamic State's official propaganda and unofficial proselytisers. In the process, four promises "empowerment, deliverance, participation and piety" are identified as the organisation's key pull factors. -The promise of empowerment conveyed by Islamic State's official and unofficial propaganda encourages women to understand joining the organisation as a means to reverse the ills that they face in life outside the 'caliphate'. By joining Islamic State, the line goes, women can defiantly take charge of their lives in the same way that men can: through living in Islamic State's "caliphate" and supporting its jihad by marrying a fighter, women are led to believe that they can emancipate themselves from kufr (disbelief). - The deliverance promise focuses on the idea that, by joining Islamic State, grievances that women suffer in the West are immediately resolved. Women can be freed from daily degradations and disbelief, and are instead assimilated into a tight-knit collective sisterhood that will provide them with a network of support and friendship. Reflective of this, the ideas of redemption and deliverance tend to be directed to females by females. - The participation promise incentivizes women to join Islamic State even though their role is strictly non-military. It conveys a sense that there is more to the 'caliphate's' jihad than fighting and that, for women, there is a specific state-building role. A constant theme in Islamic State propaganda is that supporting the 'caliphate', making it grow and flourish, is the job of everyone. For women, this takes the role of providing, maintaining and educating its 'cubs', the next generation of fighters, as well as supporting their soldier spouses. - The last promise of Islamic State's women-orientated propaganda is piety, something built up the theological imperative to join the group. The alleged pristine nature of an 'Islamic existence' in the "caliphate" is a means of justifying each stress and sacrifice and also acts as a means for recruiters to exert peer pressure to push others to make hijra (migrating). - These four themes alone do not cause female supporters of Islamic State in the West to make hijra. However, when combined with the group's copious amounts of audio-visual propaganda, they play a crucial role in the rhetorical armoury of the 'caliphate's' recruiters. -The discussion on the radicalisation of women is overly gendered and, all too often, predicated on misconceptions. In reality, when it comes to joining violent extremist causes, women are susceptible to the very same processes as men: narratives, ideology, grievances, and various push and pull factors. Reflecting this, the last part of this report delivers policy recommendations on how we must reappraise our attempts to counter the twin processes of female radicalisation and recruitment, in line with general counter-radicalisation, but using women as specific entry points. The four promises used in Islamic State propaganda, and cited in this report, are not exhaustive. There are a multitude of factors that contribute to an individual's radicalisation, of which propaganda can play an important part. As such, research into the key narratives employed by the 'caliphate' can shine an important individual's journey to jihad. Details: London: Quilliam Foundation, 2015. 53p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 10, 2016 at: http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/caliphettes-women-and-the-appeal-of-is.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/caliphettes-women-and-the-appeal-of-is.pdf Shelf Number: 138173 Keywords: Caliphate Islamic State JihadMedia Radical Groups Radicalization Social Media Terrorism Terrorists |
Author: Russell, Jonathan Title: Counter-Extremism: A Decade on from 7/7 Summary: The following report seeks to present to the recently elected government a series of policy recommendations to be implemented in the new counter-extremism strategy. Essentially, it posits that a change in structure is needed to complement the fresh strategic direction of the new government. Since 2011, government has identified the need to tackle the ideology of Islamism to prevent extremism, both violent and non-violent, in order to safeguard human rights and liberal principles. However, the domestic tools at the government's disposal with which to implement this vision have proved lacking. The Prevent strategy, after its amendments in 2011, failed to offer enough to successfully challenge non-violent extremism and proffer a convincing counter-narrative around which to rally. The rapid rise of ISIL and the evolution of global jihadism, the virulence of which has accelerated the radicalisation of vulnerable individuals, has made clear the shortcomings of our current policy efforts. Put simply, a new strategy is patently overdue. The key thrust of this report is the need to create a new body within government between the hard-approach to counter-terrorism and the soft-approach of community cohesion that can act as the foundation for a clear, consistent, and comprehensive strategy for tackling extremism of all kinds. It is the space in which people sympathise with extremist ideology but do not escalate to violent activism that has been so unchallenged. This body should focus on tackling the basis of the problem at hand, engaging at the grassroots of society to tackle ideology and extremist narratives, while also using this to conduct nuanced primary prevention, targeted prevention and deradicalisation programmes. All this should be grounded on an understanding of the radicalisation process' four constituent parts: ideology; narratives; grievances; and identity crisis. The opening sections of the report deal with the debate surrounding fundamental and contentious issues in extremism and radicalisation. They attempt to clarify issues of disagreement that have long proved problematic, and evince workable solutions that can be instrumentalised within the government's newest strategic direction. The report offers a human rights-based definition and approach to extremism, as opposed to the currently ambiguous and contentious one put forward by the government that focuses on British values. It highlights the contradictions and dead-ends that arise through defining extremism in political terms but maintaining a position of protection for liberty and belief, and advocates a universal standard with which to challenge extremism openly. Moreover, it urges an approach that does not define extremism according to current threats to national security, and instead allows for all forms of extremism (Islamist, far-right , far-left or animal rights, for example) - which beyond superficial differences, is a homogeneous social malaise - to be incorporated in a strategy that is inclusive and fair. There is a strong focus placed on targeted prevention, and for those entrenched deeper in the mire of radicalisation, deradicalisation procedures. The report recommends the following: - Base all counter-extremism work around tackling extremist ideology and undermining extremist narrative to reduce the appeal of extremism, and address grievances and build resilience against identity crisis to reduce the vulnerability of individuals to radicalisation. - Define extremism in opposition to universal human rights, and apply this consistently in all counter-extremism work, including when recruiting and choosing national or local partners. - Run the counter-extremism strategy out of the Cabinet office as an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body, in turn run by a politically neutral advisory board with counter-extremism expertise. The existing Extremism Analysis Unit, along with the Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) could sit within this body, which should include centralised due diligence, training, funding and evaluation capabilities. - Build relationships with a broad spectrum of community partners, prioritizing underrepresented demographics and hard-to-reach minorities. - Deliver comprehensive in-house training for all relevant public sector staff to ensure effective counter-extremism efforts. - Upskill counter-extremism partners, including frontline workers and other government departments, to develop online projects to catch up with the current nature of the threat, and train computer specialists in counter-extremism. - Engage civil society to tackle all extremisms as a social ill, and to do so online as well. One way of doing this can be through building public-private-third sector partnerships. - Treat the police like any other frontline workers in this field. This desecuritisation will unburden them, allowing a concentration of resources on sharp-end counter-terrorism measures. - Train frontline workers such as teachers, university staff, police officers, prison staff, healthcare workers and leaders of religious and community organisations, to carry out primary prevention work, predicated on promoting human rights and raising awareness of radicalisation. They can be trained to spot the signs of radicalisation and made aware of the best courses of action to carry out targeted prevention. - Build resilience in vulnerable institutions and sectors such as schools, universities, prisons and charities to prevent extremist entryism, through clearer whistleblowing procedures, tougher requirements to be met for prospective staff, and raised awareness among those who work in these sectors about the dangers of extremism. - Work with universities to prevent extremist speakers being given unchallenged platforms and access to potentially vulnerable students. This can be done through clearer due diligence procedures, specific counter-extremism guidance, and increased engagement of third sector counter-extremism organizations. - Develop a clearer prison-based strategy for ideological assessment, targeted deradicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration of terrorism-related offenders, particular in regard to returnee foreign terrorist fighters. The partners used in this regard must uphold universal human rights standards and be adequately equipped to enact this deradicalisation effectively. - Implement prison-specific primary prevention programmes to avert radicalisation of those vulnerable in prisons to stop these institutions being net exporters of extremism. - Ensure that national counter-extremism strategy trickles down to local government level, and that regional and local counter-extremism partners receive adequate training to fulfill their role. - Foster relations with a broad range of community partners to promote this strategy and understand the likelihood of any work in this area being targeted by extremists. Increase the transparency of counter-extremism efforts to ensure that Muslim communities do not feel targeted, and non-Muslims do not feel that Muslims are receiving preferential treatment by the state. - Develop the notion that Muslim communities are an important element of a wider civil society response to extremism, and have a voice and, further than this, a say in the development of counter-narratives, community-based projects, and efforts to aid vulnerable members of their communities. - Promote counter-extremism best practice, at the level of structure, strategy and delivery, to international partners, with the aim of coordinating efforts on an EU- or UN-wide scale. Likewise, we must be willing to learn from successful counter-extremism models in other countries. - Prioritise counter-extremism work overseas in Muslim-majority countries through improving primary prevention, countering ideology, and promoting human rights. Build bridges with foreign partners to build a global alliance against extremism of all kinds. While lacunae in our collective knowledge of the radicalisation process persist, this report offers a conceptual framework, and more importantly - at this critical time - practical recommendations to strengthen the UK's counter-extremism efforts. Details: London: Quilliam Foundation, 2015. 75p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 10, 2016 at: http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/counter-extremism-a-decade-on-from-7-7.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/counter-extremism-a-decade-on-from-7-7.pdf Shelf Number: 138174 Keywords: Caliphate Counter-TerrorismDe-radicalizationIslamic State Media MuslimsRadical Groups Radicalization Social Media Terrorism Terrorists |
Author: Winter, Charlie Title: The Virtual 'Caliphate': Understanding Islamic State's Propaganda Strategy Summary: The following report sheds light on the strategic motivations of, and implications to, Islamic State's media operation. By analysing the organisation's propaganda output over the twelve months that followed its 'caliphate' declaration in June 2014, it has been possible to dismantle the brand into its constituent narratives and the various target audiences into their composite parts. In doing so, the report demystifies the Islamic State propaganda machine and cuts through much of the unhelpful rhetoric surrounding it. By applying Jacques Ellul's theoretical framework to Islamic State's official messaging, this paper unambiguously demonstrates that, with all its complexity and gloss, the organisation's propaganda is not singularly responsible for radicalising individuals, let alone their joining the jihadist cause abroad or carrying out attacks at home. That being said, it does catalyse the Islamist extremist's passage from tacit supporter to active member. However, this is just one of the many functions of Islamic State's propaganda - as the following report demonstrates, it is much more than a matter of inciting and intimidating. From the following pages, ten key conclusions emerge: 1. For the international audience, the use of brutality by Islamic State is a red herring. While, it serves to warn against local dissent and gratify sympathisers, on an international level, its prevalence has fatally derailed mainstream understanding of the organisation and its appeal to its many thousands of foreign recruits. 2. Islamic State's propaganda has generated a comprehensive brand, one that offers an alternate way of living. Like any mass movement, it captures the imaginations of its potential recruits by offering both immediate change and the ability to transform their future in the long term. 3. This brand is composed of six non-discrete narratives - brutality, mercy, victimhood, war, belonging and utopianism - each of which is analysed in detail separately, and relation to, each other. 4. While brutality is easily the most prominent of these narratives in the West, utopianism is by far the most important narrative for Islamic State's propagandists; it is the organisation's utopian offer that is most alluring to new recruits. Unless we understand what makes up this 'utopia', any attempt to challenge the ideas is doomed to failure. 5. By outsourcing its propaganda dissemination, Islamic State has insulated itself from government-led schemes to censor its content. Its disseminators are, most of the time, self-appointed and have no official position in the organisation, virtual or otherwise. They receive no reward for their activism other than gratification from within the Islamic State echo chamber. 6. It is not just dissemination that Islamic State has outsourced. By saturating the online jihadist marketplace of ideas with official content, it also provides an abundance of raw material for 'jihobbyists' to produce their own unofficial propaganda. In doing so, the organisation is able to constantly direct the trajectory of its online narrative from afar and without direct involvement. 7. Islamic State's propagandists constantly create bespoke propagandistic material for a range of audiences. They are not just seeking to attract new supporters and intimidate enemies, but are also working to polarise international publics, sustain their organisation's global relevance (in jihadist and non-jihadist spheres) and present their enlisters with 'evidence' to convince potential recruits to become active members. 8. There is no such thing as a 'recruiter', in the traditional sense of the word. Recruitment to the Islamic State organisation involves a range of different actors and processes. First, one must be recruited to the cause. It is only then that an individual is actually enlisted. The 'recruiter to the cause' is not the same individual as the 'enlister to the organisation'. 9. Social media has emerged as this decade's 'radical mosqu'. While radicalisation, for the most part begins offline, Islamic State, along with other groups, has nurtured a situation in which the curious are able to have direct contact with former or current fighters, hear first-hand accounts from the battlefield and swap logistical advice. In decades gone by, this was a function served by so-called 'radical mosques'. In the digital era, social media platforms are the space where this happens. Crucially, social media platforms are not the reason for radicalisation or recruitment, just as 'radical' mosques and bookshops were never the reason. 10. People are not radicalised by propaganda, nor are they recruited by it. There must always be an external human influencer to spark and sustain the radicalisation process. This could be a friend, family-member or stranger. Whatever the case, exposure to Islamic States propaganda alone is not the reason that someone becomes a supporter. What propaganda does do, though, is catalyse the individual's radicalisation and concentrate their already-held sympathies. If we are to effectively counter Islamic State's media strategy - something which, at the time of writing, we are certainly failing at - we must first understand it. The propaganda behemoth can and must be broken down into its constituent parts; doing so facilitates a more nuanced, considered approach to the information war on Islamic State. Unless we understand the strategy behind the organisation's media machine, misconceptions about what drives its supporters - be they potential migrants or potential domestic terrorists - will continue to flourish. It is imperative that the coalition formed to degrade and destroy Islamic State recognises that there is no 'Golden Fleece' solution to this problem. There is no one counter narrative, nor is there any one audience that needs targeting. The coalition's information war machine, though better funded and potentially more numerous, is dwarfed by that of Islamic State. Unless its information architecture is revolutionised, the international coalition will always lose the battle for ideas. Details: London: Quilliam Foundation, 2015. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 10, 2016 at: http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/the-virtual-caliphate-understanding-islamic-states-propaganda-strategy.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/the-virtual-caliphate-understanding-islamic-states-propaganda-strategy.pdf Shelf Number: 138175 Keywords: Caliphate Islamic State JihadMedia Radical Groups Radicalization Social Media Terrorism Terrorists Violent Extremists |
Author: Malik, Nikita Title: South Asian Militant Groups and Global Jihad in 2015 Summary: This report is designed as a field guide to the most significant militant groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. It illustrates regional and international trends, and it explains the strategies that have been used by various global jihadist actors at a turning point in South Asian geopolitics. Due to a combination of military operations against them, internal fractionalisation, and the shifting influence of "global jihad", terrorist groups in South Asia are far from structured, cohesive units. As such, Quilliam advocates a new approach in policy. It is now crucial to revisit and re-emphasise the potential for counter-radicalization strategies, as well as mental health policy to reduce the risk of radicalisation. Moreover, we maintain that by coupling civil society initiatives with local, regional, and international policies, the affected Governments will be able to counter these violent ideologies. Based on our findings, Quilliam has developed the following set of counter-terrorism and counter-extremism recommendations: To the International Community: - Make counter-extremism and human rights principles the cornerstone of all related aid that is provided to Pakistan and Afghanistan. - Continue to focus on human rights as a core aim. Strongly insist on greater transparency during counter-terror operations such as Zarb-e-Azb in FATA. If human rights abuses against civilians go unchecked, then defeating one wave of militancy is a temporary victory, as another will be created in the process in response to perceived injustices. - Support grassroots reconciliation efforts and civil society initiatives which offer positive, sensitive, and sustainable forms of post-conflict solutions. - Better engage with Muslim communities in India, Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), and Afghanistan to decrease the appeal of an Islamic caliphate by promoting democratic cultures and addressing grievances to prevent militant ideologies exploiting them. - Help foster stronger micro-finance charity relationships, banking systems, and schemes in South Asia in order to provide conduits to micro-credit for smaller villages and communities that will facilitate economic and social development, and reduce the risks of radicalisation within the relevant communities. The informal 'value transfer' system that is known as the hawala system, tends to thrive when the banking sector is weak. We recommend requirements on hawaladar, such as licensing and registration. - Support economic policies that will reduce income inequality in Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan, and avoid the implementation of financial measures that disproportionately impact the poor in the way that structural adjustment schemes have done so in the past. - Critically review the legal, moral, and military arguments for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in operations over Pakistan and Afghanistan. Associated grievances can be exploited by extremists to radicalize or recruit local populations. Details: London: Quilliam Foundation, 2015. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 10, 2016 at: http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/south-asian-militant-groups-and-global-jihad-in-2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Asia URL: http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/south-asian-militant-groups-and-global-jihad-in-2015.pdf Shelf Number: 138176 Keywords: Caliphate Counter-ExtremismCounter-TerrorismDe-RadicalizationIslamic State JihadMedia Radical Groups Radicalization Social Media Terrorism Terrorists |
Author: Mitchell, Kimberly J. Title: Trends in Unwanted Sexual Solicitations: Findings from the Youth Internet Safety Studies Summary: There has been considerable and growing concern voiced by schools, parents and the public about what youth experience while using the Internet and other electronic technologies. The last decade saw significant and rapid changes in youth online activity: Internet use has now expanded to encompass almost all youth. Moreover, the nature of youth Internet use changed during this time with an increase in the use of cell‐ and smart‐phones, and the migration of adolescent social activity to social networking sites. However, this rapid expansion in technology use has occurred during a period of time in which child victimization has declined significantly. In 1999 and 2000, the first Youth Internet Safety Survey (YISS‐1) was conducted to address concerns about adults using the Internet to sexually solicit youth, young people encountering sexual material online and youth being threatened and harassed through the Internet. While YISS‐1 found that many youth who used the Internet encountered such episodes, most of these incidents were relatively mild and not very disturbing to youth. However, some were serious and distressing. We conducted the second Youth Internet Safety Survey (YISS‐2) in 2005 to reassess the extent to which young Internet users were encountering problems five years later, gauge whether the incidence and characteristics of these episodes had changed, explore new areas of interest, review emerging technologies, ascertain the effect those technologies have on the issue, and assess threats to youth. Compared to YISS‐1, the results of YISS‐2 showed that a smaller proportion of youth had received unwanted online sexual solicitations and a smaller proportion had interacted online with strangers. However, larger proportions of youth reported being exposed to pornography they did not want to see and were being harassed online. In 2010, the third Youth Internet Safety Survey (YISS‐3) was conducted to continue to track existing trends in the number and types of threats youth encounter using technology; assess risks of new behaviors and activities, including youth creating and distributing explicit images of themselves and/or peers; assess benefits and utilization of safety programs and technologies; and identify activities and behaviors most closely associated with risk. This document reviews key findings from YISS‐3. Details: Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Crimes Against Children Research Center, 2014. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 12, 2016 at: http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/Sexual%20Solicitation%201%20of%204%20YISS%20Bulletins%20Feb%202014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/Sexual%20Solicitation%201%20of%204%20YISS%20Bulletins%20Feb%202014.pdf Shelf Number: 138185 Keywords: Child Pornography Child Sexual ExploitationInternet CommunicationsInternet Safety Online CommunicationsSexting Social MediaSocial Networks |
Author: Cheon, Hyunjung Title: Police Estimates of Sex Trafficking: Venues, Trends, and Data Sources Summary: Over the past two decades, United States policymakers and the public have become increasingly aware of and concerned about the trafficking of persons for commercial sex. In 2000, the federal government passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). Since then, law enforcement agencies at all levels have engaged in identifying and responding to sex trafficking problems. Estimates of the prevalence of U.S. sex trafficking vary, depending on the data sources used. Most estimates of the magnitude of sex trafficking in this country are made by federal entities. Relatively little is known, however, about the sources of information actually used by local police agencies to assess and understand sex trafficking problems in their own communities. To help fill that gap, the Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety at Arizona State University, with the support of the McCain Institute, surveyed a sample of local police agencies across the country, seeking to understand (a) their estimation of the magnitude of sex trafficking problems in their jurisdictions in 2014, (b) their perceptions of the nature of the local problems, (c) the sources of information relied upon to assess and form perceptions of those problems, and (d) their experience in addressing sex trafficking issues. Seventy-two of the largest municipal police agencies in the U.S. completed the survey. The following are the key findings from their responses: - The majority of respondents indicated that the magnitude of the sex trafficking problem in the various venues in their communities (i.e., massage parlors, escort agencies, adult clubs, brothels, non-licensed cantinas) was relatively unchanged over time. More than 80 percent reported, however, that the rate of online sex advertising was increasing. - For sex trafficking of juveniles, online sex advertising was the most prevalent venue. - Sex trafficking victims were most likely to be female and aged 18 to 24 years; the United States was most commonly their country of origin. Details: Phoenix, AZ: Center for Violence Prevention & Community Safety, Arizona State University, 2015. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 12, 2016 at: http://cvpcs.asu.edu/sites/default/files/content/products/CVPCS-PoliceEstimatesOfSexTrafficking.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://cvpcs.asu.edu/sites/default/files/content/products/CVPCS-PoliceEstimatesOfSexTrafficking.pdf Shelf Number: 138192 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationHuman TraffickingProstitutionSex TraffickingSexual ExploitationSocial Media |
Author: Mitchell, Kimberly J. Title: Trends in Unwanted Exposure to Sexual Material: Findings from the Youth Internet Safety Studies Summary: There has been considerable and growing concern voiced by schools, parents and the public about what youth experience while using the Internet and other electronic technologies. The last decade saw significant and rapid changes in youth online activity: Internet use has now expanded to encompass almost all youth. Moreover, the nature of youth Internet use changed during this time with an increase in the use of cell‐ and smart‐phones, and the migration of adolescent social activity to social networking sites. However, this rapid expansion in technology use has occurred during a period of time in which child victimization has declined significantly. In 1999 and 2000, the first Youth Internet Safety Survey (YISS‐1) was conducted to address concerns about adults using the Internet to sexually solicit youth, young people encountering sexual material online and youth being threatened and harassed through the Internet. While YISS‐1 found that many youth who used the Internet encountered such episodes, most of these incidents were relatively mild and not very disturbing to youth. However, some were serious and distressing. We conducted the second Youth Internet Safety Survey (YISS‐2) in 2005 to reassess the extent to which young Internet users were encountering problems five years later, gauge whether the incidence and characteristics of these episodes had changed, explore new areas of interest, review emerging technologies, ascertain the effect those technologies have on the issue, and assess threats to youth. Compared to YISS‐1, the results of YISS‐2 showed that a smaller proportion of youth had received unwanted online sexual solicitations and a smaller proportion had interacted online with strangers. However, larger proportions of youth reported being exposed to pornography they did not want to see and were being harassed online. In 2010, the third Youth Internet Safety Survey (YISS‐3) was conducted to continue to track existing trends in the number and types of threats youth encounter using technology; assess risks of new behaviors and activities, including youth creating and distributing explicit images of themselves and/or peers; assess benefits and utilization of safety programs and technologies; and identify activities and behaviors most closely associated with risk. This document reviews key findings from YISS‐3. Details: Durham: University of New Hampshire, 2014. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 29, 2016 at: http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/Sexual%20Solicitation%201%20of%204%20YISS%20Bulletins%20Feb%202014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/Sexual%20Solicitation%201%20of%204%20YISS%20Bulletins%20Feb%202014.pdf Shelf Number: 138461 Keywords: Child Sexual ExploitationInternet CrimesInternet SafetyOnline VictimizationPornographySocial Media |
Author: U.S. Department of Justice. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Title: Social Media and Tactical Considerations for Law Enforcement Summary: This report is part of a COPS Office series titled "Emerging Issues in Policing," which is a very appropriate heading for a discussion of social media. The use of social media is a relatively new phenomenon in policing. Many police departments are experimenting with social media-and we emphasize the word "experimenting." Some departments are using social media far more extensively than others, and development of formal policy on social media is generally lagging behind practice. A variety of legal, civil rights, and privacy-related issues regarding social media have been raised, but these issues are nowhere near the point of resolution in the courts yet. Many departments' initial efforts to use social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have been for the purpose of disseminating information to the public about crime issues, crime prevention programs, and police department activities. Chapter 1 of this report describes the social media strategy of the Toronto Police Service, which has one of the most advanced social media programs in existence for disseminating information to the public. There has been much less discussion of police use of social media for other purposes, such as preventing and investigating crimes, in which the police are gathering information rather than disseminating information. That is the subject of the bulk of this report. We brought together some of the police officials who have been taking the lead in exploring these issues and developing social media programs, and asked them to tell us what they have learned from the successes they have achieved as well as the challenges they have overcome. The last decade has been a time of rapid change in policing. Major forces have been buffeting police departments for some time. On one hand, the economic crisis has shrunk police budgets and forced police executives to reevaluate all of their operations and even their fundamental missions. At the same time, police departments across the nation and abroad are developing many new technologies that have the potential to make policing more efficient and effective. Social media can be counted as one of these important new technologies. Because of all the changes going on in the field, it is an interesting and challenging time to be a police leader. PERF and the COPS Office see our roles as helping law enforcement executives share information with each other about what they are learning as they work through the new issues they are encountering. This report is part of that effort. We hope you will find it interesting and informative. Details: Washington, DC: COPS Office, 2013. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 23, 2016 at: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Free_Online_Documents/Technology/social%20media%20and%20tactical%20considerations%20for%20law%20enforcement%202013.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Free_Online_Documents/Technology/social%20media%20and%20tactical%20considerations%20for%20law%20enforcement%202013.pdf Shelf Number: 139126 Keywords: Community PolicingPolice TechnologiesPolice-Community RelationsSocial Media |
Author: Todd, Hilary Ellen Marta Title: The effects of citizen monitoring on the police: an examination of citizen monitoring and police use of justified force Summary: Citizen monitoring of police officers is an area of increasing importance in law enforcement research. The most powerful weapon against police misconduct is rapidly becoming the cellular phone and other hand held photography and videography devices. The practice of recording the police conducting their work either properly or improperly and subsequently uploading the footage onto the Internet has had marked effects on members of the force. Monitoring and surveillance are known to have a significant impact on individuals and their resulting actions (Campbell and Carlson, 2002). This study offers an examination of surveillance on the police population. Through the use of a qualitative approach, the present study explores the impact citizen monitoring has on police officers. The study addresses officers' perceptions of citizen monitoring, and the impact the interviewees felt it had on their use of justified force. Guided by the question: "What impact does citizen monitoring have on police use of force, and would body worn cameras (BWC) serve as a means to mitigate this impact?", this exploratory study found that indeed, the officers interviewed may be impacted by citizen monitoring, and further, that a great deal of uneasiness exists within the force around the potential adoption of BWC technology. Details: Burnaby, BC: Simon Fraser University, 2015. 132p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed August 26, 2016 at: http://summit.sfu.ca/item/15420 Year: 2015 Country: Canada URL: http://summit.sfu.ca/item/15420 Shelf Number: 134047 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasCitizen MonitoringPolice AccountabilityPolice Decision MakingPolice DiscretionPolice Use of ForceSocial Media |
Author: UK Council for Child Internet Safety Title: Sexting in schools and colleges: Responding to incidents and safeguarding young people Summary: This advice is for designated safeguarding leads (DSLs), their deputies, headteachers and senior leadership teams in schools and educational establishments in England. What does this advice cover? This advice covers: - Responding to disclosures - Handling devices and imagery - Risk assessing situations - Involving other agencies, including escalation to the police and children's social care - Recording incidents - Involving parents - Preventative education What is the status of this advice? This advice has been produced on behalf of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) a group of more than 200 organisations from across government, industry, law, academia and charity sectors, working in partnership to help keep children safe online. Details: s.l.: The Council, 2016. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 8, 2016 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/551575/6.2439_KG_NCA_Sexting_in_Schools_WEB__1_.PDF Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/551575/6.2439_KG_NCA_Sexting_in_Schools_WEB__1_.PDF Shelf Number: 145374 Keywords: Child ProtectionSextingSocial Media |
Author: Oboler, Andre Title: Measuring the Hate: The State of Antisemitism in Social Media Summary: On January 9th 2015 four French Jews were killed in an attack on the Hypercacher kosher supermarket in Paris, which was targeted following the attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo and an aborted attack on a Jewish center which left a police woman dead. On February 15th Dan Uzan, a community security volunteer, was killed outside the Great Synagogue in Copenhagen, Denmark. In Israel there were a multitude of fatal knife attacks on Jewish targets. The far right is gaining in popularity, particularly in parts of Europe, while antisemitism from parts of the Muslim and Arab world inspire self-radicalisation and violent extremism. These are just some of the results of rising antisemitism in 2015, and highlight the need for urgent action. Through the Internet, antisemitic content and messages spread across national borders, feeding not only anti-Jewish hate, but violent extremism more generally. Removing the online incitement which leads to knife attacks in Israel is part and parcel of tackling the larger problem of online incitement which has also led to a dramatic increase in attacks on refugees in Germany. Responding to the rising social media incitement and very real consequences, German prosecutors opening an investigation into the possibility of criminal liability of senior Facebook executives in late 2015. Following this move an agreement was reached between the German Government, Facebook, Google and Twitter to see content that violated German law removed within 24 hours. Facebook has since gone further and announced a project to tackle online hate in Europe. As 2016 starts it is clear we have reached a point where the status quo is no longer acceptable. Social media platforms are being clearly told by governments around the world that if they don't do better to combating incitement, hate and the use of their systems by violent extremists, government will look to legislate to impose increased regulation. Social media platforms are starting to respond, but some are doing so more effectively than others. As governments increase their efforts to tackle threats in social media, antisemitism remains a core part of the wider fight against hate speech, incitement and violent extremism. It is an area where international efforts are well established, and where experts have been working on the problem since it was first raised at the Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism in 2008. Through its Working Group on Antisemitism on the Internet and in the Media, the Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism has continued to work steadily on this problem and released a major report of recommendations and a review of work to date in 2013, and an interim version of this report in 2015. This report represents the latest research and a major step forward in efforts to tackle online antisemitism. It also lights a path for tackling other forms of online hate and incitement. Hate in social media is explored empirically, both with respect to its relative prevalence across the major platforms, and with respect to the nature of the antisemitic content. Most significantly, the rate of removal of antisemitic hate speech is reported on by social media platform and by antisemitic category over the last 10 months. The report is based on a sample totalling 2024 antisemitic items all from either Facebook, YouTube or Twitter. The categories the hate were classified into were: incitement to violence (5%), including general statements advocating death to the Jews; Holocaust denial (12%); traditional antisemitism (49%), such as conspiracy theories and racial slurs; and New Antisemitism (34%), being antisemitism related to the State of Israel as per the Working Definition of Antisemitism. The results in this report indicate significant variation in the way antisemitism is treated both between companies and also within a single company across the four categories of antisemitism. Positive responses by the platforms remain far lower than a concerned public or the governments who represent them would expect. Details: Caulfield South, Vic, AUS: Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism, 2016. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 11, 2016 at: http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/AntiSemitism/Documents/Measuring-the-Hate.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/AntiSemitism/Documents/Measuring-the-Hate.pdf Shelf Number: 145409 Keywords: AntisemitismBias CrimesHate CrimesSocial Media |
Author: Milton, Daniel Title: Communication Breakdown: Unraveling the Islamic State's Media Efforts Summary: This report breaks down the Islamic State's media activities through a two-fold approach. First, it examines a small number of declassified documents captured from the group's predecessors to provide a baseline understanding its present-day media structure and operations. Second, through an examination of over 9,000 Islamic State official media products, this report offers detailed insight into what the group is saying and what a study of its propaganda can tell us about its strengths, weaknesses, and struggles. A number of findings emerge from these analyses. First, the Islamic State's media network is adaptive and complex. Second, the group publishes products on a variety of themes, only one of which has to do with the violence for which the group is so well-known. Third, the frequency of the group's products has declined significantly since its high-point in the summer of 2015. Fourth, the Islamic State's provincial media bureaus are not all equal in terms of their production content. Finally, although advances have been made in limiting the group's media activities, there is still more than can be done to limit the group's outreach efforts. Details: West Point, NY: Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, 2016. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 13, 2016 at: https://www.ctc.usma.edu/v2/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ISMedia_Online.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: https://www.ctc.usma.edu/v2/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ISMedia_Online.pdf Shelf Number: 145442 Keywords: ISISIslamic StateSocial MediaTerrorismTerrorists |
Author: Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention Title: Connected Dot Com: Young People's Navigation of Online Risks Summary: This study explores young people's use of social media, the dangers faced online, and the ways in which young people negotiate their own safety online. It was conducted through focus groups in 93 schools across SA in tandem with the 2012 National School Violence Study. Details: Cape Town, South Africa: CJCP, 2013. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 19, 2016 at: http://www.cjcp.org.za/uploads/2/7/8/4/27845461/connected_dot_com.pdf Year: 2013 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.cjcp.org.za/uploads/2/7/8/4/27845461/connected_dot_com.pdf Shelf Number: 145877 Keywords: Child ProtectionOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Way, Julian Title: Charting Out the Digital Ecosystem of Gangs in the U.S. and Mexico Summary: People, drugs and weapons are routinely smuggled across the U.S.-Mexican border. Drug trafficking cartels and organized criminal gangs are suppliers, brokers, retailers and regulators of the trade. Conventional assessments of the political economy of the illicit trafficking along known corridors such as San Diego-Tijuana or El Paso-Ciudad Juarez rely on painstaking qualitative assessments, including key informant interviews with those in and outside the business. In some cases, quantitative approaches are deployed, including modeling flows on the basis of extant data on sex trafficking or drugs and arms seizures. Due in part to the rapid digital penetration of the Internet and social media over the past decade, there are novel ways of tracking cartel and gang activity. Many of these approaches are still experimental and in early stages of development. This article considers the digital ecosystem linking gangs in San Diego, Tijuana and more widely across Mexico and other parts of Latin America. The focus is not restricted to mapping the online presence of gangs in social media and related public digital platforms, but also the dynamic interaction between members, affiliates and the wider public. The article draws on research conducted in partnership with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and University of San Diego in 2015. The article considers the digital activities of gangs – especially Latin American groups – at two levels. At the micro-level, the focus was on mapping online gang involvement in sex trafficking in San Diego in the U.S. and Tijuana in Mexico. At the macro-level, we considered the activities and dynamics of online gang networks in southern California, Mexico and wider Latin America. We then applied a combination of social media analytics, social network analysis, and digital forensics to understand the distribution and dynamics of cartels and gangs in cyberspace. While experimental in nature, the assessment generated descriptive and methodological findings. Details: Small Wars Journal, April 11, 2016. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 14, 2016 at: http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/charting-out-the-digital-ecosystem-of-gangs-in-the-us-and-mexico Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/charting-out-the-digital-ecosystem-of-gangs-in-the-us-and-mexico Shelf Number: 146974 Keywords: Drug TraffickingGang-Related ViolenceGangsGun TraffickingSex TraffickingSocial Media |
Author: Jutte, Sonja Title: Online Child Sexual Abuse Images: Doing More to Tackle Demand and Supply Summary: The production and consumption of child abuse images online is creating a social emergency. Digital technology is making it ever easier for this abuse to proliferate, damaging the many children involved in this vile trade. But by each of us playing a part, and taking collective responsibility to keep our children safe, we can find solutions. Behind each and every child sexual abuse image, abuse has occurred in the "real" world. These children are victims every time their image is viewed, and worse still, the knowledge that the image or film can be repeatedly viewed, and may never be removed, causes on-going trauma that they are forced to live with. And, to further heighten the seriousness of this abuse, we know there have been cases where the viewing of child abuse images escalates into abuse in real life. This is an issue of considerable importance to the NSPCC. The challenge we are faced with is sizeable. There are many praiseworthy endeavours, and much valuable work already happening to try to keep our children safer online. It is almost universally agreed that this material is illegal and wrong. But more must and can be done. Better understanding of the scale, nature and urgency of the challenge is vital. Ensuring that everyone - industry, government, law enforcement and charities like the NSPCC - plays their part is crucial. And a greater public understanding of the problem and its effects on children is also needed. In this report, the NSPCC explores new evidence about size of the problem and presents real, tangible solutions to reduce both the supply of and demand for these images. Children must have the right to easily remove sexual images of themselves that are shared online. More treatment and support services are needed to stop potential perpetrators in their tracks. Most importantly we must continue to seek new preventive solutions to stop these crimes from happening in the first place. This report sheds light on where we should focus our collective effort. Details: London: NSPCC, 2016. 440. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 9, 2016 at: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/online-child-sexual-abuse-images.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/online-child-sexual-abuse-images.pdf Shelf Number: 145578 Keywords: Child PornographyChild ProtectionChild Sexual AbuseInternet CrimesOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Mitchell, Kimberly J. Title: The Role of Technology in Youth Harassment Victimization Summary: This bulletin summarizes the findings of the NIJ-sponsored Technology Harassment Victimization study, which is a follow-up study to the second National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence sponsored by OJJDP. The study examined technology-involved harassment within the context of other types of youth victimization and risk factors. The data reveal that mixed-peer harassment-involving both in-person and technology-based elements - is the most traumatic for victims, especially those who have been victimized in multiple ways in the past and are facing numerous stressors in their present lives. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2016. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 10, 2016 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/250079.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/250079.pdf Shelf Number: 146043 Keywords: BullyingHarassmentInternet CrimesInternet SafetySocial Media |
Author: Gagliardone, Iginio Title: Countering Online Hate Speech Summary: Hate speech online is situated at the intersection of multiple tensions: it is the expression of conflicts between different groups within and across societies; it is a vivid example of how technologies with a transformative potential such as the Internet bring with them both opportunities and challenges; and it implies complex balancing between fundamental rights and principles, including freedom of expression and the defence of human dignity. As the UN agency with a specific mandate to foster freedom of expression, and its corollaries, press freedom and freedom of information, UNESCO is actively working to promote mutual knowledge and understanding of peoples, through all means of mass communication, including the Internet in general, and social networking platforms in particular. The roots of the research presented in this current publication lie in UNESCO’s fulfilment of Resolution 52 of its 37th General Conference in November 2013, as agreed by the Organization’s 195 Member States. This resolution called for a comprehensive and consultative multistakeholder study, within the mandate of UNESCO, on Internet-related issues of access to information and knowledge, freedom of expression, privacy, and the ethical dimensions of the Information Society. The research into hate speech served as a contribution towards the wider study.1 The present report provides a global overview of the dynamics characterizing hate speech online and some of the measures that have been adopted to counteract and mitigate it, highlighting good practices that have emerged at the local and global levels. While the study offers a comprehensive analysis of the international, regional and national normative frameworks developed to address hate speech online, and their repercussions for freedom of expression, it places particular emphasis on social and non-regulatory mechanisms that can help to counter the production, dissemination and impact of hateful messages online. The findings of this study can be grouped around four main tensions: definition, jurisdiction, comprehension, and intervention. ● Definition. Hate speech is a broad and contested term. Multilateral treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) have sought to define its contours. Multi-stakeholders processes (e.g. the Rabat Plan of Action) have been initiated to bring greater clarity and suggest mechanisms to identify hateful messages. And yet, hate speech continues largely to be used in everyday discourse as a generic term, mixing concrete threats to individuals’ and groups’ security with cases in which people may be simply venting their anger against authority. Internet intermediaries – organizations that mediate online communication such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google – have advanced their own definitions of hate speech that bind users to a set of rules and allow companies to limit certain forms of expression. National and regional bodies have sought to promote understandings of the term that are more rooted in local traditions. Against this backdrop, the possibility of reaching a universally shared definition seems unlikely, a shared interest to avoid violence and protect human dignity has made debates on hate speech a moment for different stakeholders to come together in original ways and seek locally relevant solutions. ● Jurisdiction. The Internet’s speed and reach makes it difficult for governments to enforce national legislation in the virtual world. Issues around hate speech online bring into clear relief the emergence of private spaces for expression that serve a public function (e.g. Facebook, Twitter), and the challenges that these spaces pose for regulators. Despite initial resistance, and following public pressure, some of the companies owning these spaces have become more responsive towards tackling the problem of hate speech online, although they have not (yet) been fully incorporated into global debates (e.g. the Rabat Plan of Action) about how to identify and respond to hate speech. ● Comprehension. The character of hate speech online and its relation to offline speech and action are poorly understood. These topics are widely talked about – by politicians, activists and academics – but the debates tend to be removed from systematic empirical evidence. The character of perceived hate speech and its possible consequences has led to placing much emphasis on the solutions to the problem and on how they should be grounded in international human rights norms. Yet this very focus has also limited deeper attempts to understand the causes underlying the phenomenon and the dynamics through which certain types of content emerge, diffuse and lead – or not – to actual discrimination, hostility or violence. This study offers various examples of research aimed at mapping the emergence and diffusion of speech online, but also highlights the lack of studies examining the links between hate speech online and other social phenomena, ranging from access to education to rising inequalities. Details: Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 2015. 73p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 14, 2016 at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002332/233231e.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002332/233231e.pdf Shelf Number: 144890 Keywords: Computer CrimesHate CrimesHate SpeechInternet CrimesOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Schans, D. Title: Raising awareness, changing behavior? Summary: Several migrant receiving countries such as Australia, the U.S. and Switzerland have launched migration information campaigns in migrant sending and transit countries about the risks involved in (irregular) migration. With the current high influx of migrants more and more of such campaigns are launched. Such campaigns can target different goals: to help to prevent irregular movements by ensuring that people are sufficiently informed about the potential risks; to manage expectations people might have about the opportunities they will have after migration or to outright prevent migration altogether. This research project will look at several aspects of migration information campaigns: the design, the implementation, the assumptions underlying the campaign and the possible effects of these campaigns. The use of social media will receive separate attention. How and to what extent migration information campaigns are part of social media platforms used by refugees and migrants and whether or not they influence migration decisions remains unclear though. Details: The Hague: WODC-Research and Documentation Centre) of the Ministry of Security and Justice , 2016. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Cahier 2016-11: Accessed February 4, 2017 at: https://english.wodc.nl/binaries/Cahier%202016-11_2683_Volledige%20tekst_tcm29-239610.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Netherlands URL: https://english.wodc.nl/binaries/Cahier%202016-11_2683_Volledige%20tekst_tcm29-239610.pdf Shelf Number: 145881 Keywords: Illegal ImmigrantsMedia CampaignsMigrationPublicity CampaignsSocial Media |
Author: Irwin-Rogers, Keir Title: Social Media as a Catalyst and Trigger for Youth Violence Summary: Social media now plays a central role in the lives of young people in the UK, with the vast majority of teenagers using smartphones and tablets to access online platforms throughout their waking hours. The integration of social media into the daily lives of young people has left online - offline boundaries increasingly blurred. Whilst online activity offers huge potential to enhance the quantity and quality of communication between people across the world, it also raises some serious challenges. This report focuses on one of these challenges, namely, the links between young people's use of social media and youth violence. Whilst social media platforms are being used to glamorise, display and incite serious acts of violence, this content currently drifts under the radar of responsible adults and organisations which have the potential to respond to and challenge this behaviour. The report makes for uncomfortable reading, particularly for those who work with young people and recognise the daily challenges that many face. The attitudes and behaviour of the young people discussed in this report must be viewed within the wider social and economic context of their lives. Many will have grown up in areas of socioeconomic deprivation, may be struggling to cope with serious issues around trauma stemming from early childhood experiences and are therefore exhibiting attitudes and behaviours that are tragically understandable when considered in this context. All of the findings presented in this report are intended to be read in light of the above. By highlighting the ways in which social media is acting as a catalyst and trigger for serious incidents of violence between young people in real life, the report provides a springboard for action and collaborative exchanges between a full range of stakeholders as we move forward. It identifies a number of measures aimed at preventing young people harming, and being harmed by, other young people as a result of activity on social media. Its recommendations, however, should not be taken as a fixed blueprint, but as a means of kick-starting the development of appropriate and effective policy and practice in this area. 1.1 Key findings - No holds barred online: Because social media is commonly perceived to be hidden from adults, a virtual free-for-all space has emerged in which a small minority of young people share various forms of material that both display and incite serious incidents of violence in real life. - Impact of the smartphone: Whilst some of the online activities discussed in this report have been occurring for several years, they now pose far greater challenges because of the recent developments in smartphone technology, which have radically altered both the nature and prevalence of young people's use of social media. - Growing audience: By collapsing time and space, social media platforms are providing young people with unprecedented opportunities to disrespect one another. Before the advent of these platforms, incidents of violence, disrespect and provocation were typically confined to relatively small audiences, as well as a single location and point in time. Now, however, visceral displays of violence and disrespect are being captured via photographs and videos, and may be replayed at any time as the content spreads virally over multiple platforms. In addition, the enhanced audience size facilitated by social media makes violent retaliation more likely because of the unprecedented potential for disrespectful online activity to undermine young people's perceived status and reputation. - Threats and provocation in music videos: Young people and professionals reported concerns around what they referred to as drill music videos, which threaten and provoke individuals and groups from rival areas. A clear distinction must be made between the vast majority of music videos that simply provide a raw reflection of the realities of young people's lives (content that does not provoke real-life violence), and a much smaller number of videos that go well beyond this, through displays of young people brandishing weapons, incendiary remarks about recent incidents of young people being seriously injured and killed, and explicit threats to stab or shoot specific individuals and members of rival groups. - Violent intent is the exception rather than the norm: It is important to highlight that the vast majority of young people do not want to live the violent and risky lifestyles that are being glamorised in drill music videos. Many attempt to launch careers as music artists as a means of escaping life 'on road'. In addition, these videos should not be seen as a root cause of youth violence. According to young people and professionals, however, they are acting as a catalyst and trigger for serious incidents of face-to-face violence between young people. - Daily exposure to online violence: A small minority of young people are exposed daily to social media content that displays or incites serious violence in real life. This includes uploads of photos and videos of individuals and groups trespassing into areas associated with rival groups, and serious incidents of theft and violence perpetrated against young people. Some of the latter are being taken within prison settings 5 and broadcast live over social media by prisoners with access to smartphones. Some social media accounts are dedicated entirely to archiving and sharing material that displays young people being seriously harmed, disrespected and humiliated. - Social pressures: When young people are disrespected by content uploaded to social media, this can generate significant social pressure to retaliate in real life to protect their perceived status and reputation. Moreover, when young people witness graphic displays of real-life violence involving their friends and family, this can leave them suffering from significant levels of anxiety and trauma. Those who initially upload the content disrespecting a particular individual or group become prone to retaliatory acts of serious violence and theft, which in turn are often recorded and broadcast over social media, creating a vicious cycle of retaliation. - Vulnerability of young women: Professionals and young people reported cases of girls being violently attacked and sexually assaulted by members of rival groups after appearing in content uploaded online. In addition, professionals described cases in which young women who commented on content uploaded to social media were subsequently groomed and pressured into risky activities such as holding and storing weapons or drugs. - Negative implications for education and employment: The social media accounts of some people who self-identify as being part of a street gang are being followed by tens of thousands of young people. This continuous lens into a seemingly seductive and lucrative lifestyle that glamorises violence and the pursuit of money through illegal activities such as drug distribution further undermines the commitment of some young people to education and legitimate forms of employment. Details: London: Catch22, 2017. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 6, 2017 at: http://eugangs.eu/pdf/05012017/Catch22-Report.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://eugangs.eu/pdf/05012017/Catch22-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 146029 Keywords: Media ViolenceOnline VictimizationSmartphonesSocial MediaViolenceViolent CrimeYouth Violence |
Author: Helmus, Todd C. Title: Promoting Online Voices for Countering Violent Extremism Summary: Key Findings - American Muslims are increasingly using the Web and social media to help counter violent extremism. Discussions with a number of Muslim leaders active in social media suggest that it is possible to expand such efforts even further, and doing so is a major objective of the August 2011 White House strategy to counter violent extremism. - While Muslim Americans play an active role in countering extremism, several factors may work to undermine higher-level engagement, including: low radicalization rates among American Muslims, negative perceptions of U.S. counterterrorism policies, a limited reservoir of leadership capacity and CVE funding (which prevents effective outreach), and being viewed as sell-outs to those most sympathetic to jihadi causes. - In some cases, the First Amendment may limit U.S. government attempts to fund CVE programs of an ideological bent, but this restriction could ultimately benefit CVE discourse as it frees Muslim groups of the taint of government funding and prevents the government from having to "choose sides" in intra-Muslim discourse and debate. - Both the U.S. State Department and the "think-do tank" Google Ideas have initiated insightful programs that seek to build capacity and otherwise promote credible Muslim voices. - Recommendations include desecuritizing efforts to counter violent extremism, addressing sources of mistrust within the Muslim community, focusing engagements and CVE education on social media influencers, building leadership and social media capacity in the Muslim community, enhancing private sector funding and engagement, and finding avenues to enhance government funding. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2013. 18p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 11, 2017 at: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR100/RR130/RAND_RR130.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR100/RR130/RAND_RR130.pdf Shelf Number: 144830 Keywords: Counter-TerrorismExtremist GroupsMuslimsRadicalizationSocial MediaViolent Extremism |
Author: Saltman, Erin Marie Title: Youth Innovation Labs: A Model for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Summary: The following publication discusses the development, implementation and evaluation of Youth Innovation Labs conducted by the Youth Civil Activism Network (YouthCAN). Youth Innovation Labs are immersive, activist-led events that provide a space for innovation, cocreation and learning while giving participants the contacts, tools and resources needed to develop counter-narrative campaigns for preventing and countering violent extremism. Why do we need Youth Innovation Labs? Over the last few years global attention has been paid to violent extremist organisations like ISIS, Boko Haram and a range of far-right groups. As a reaction, in 2015 there was an uprising of young voices convening on the topic of peacebuilding, discussing how young people can be supported in their efforts in preventing and countering violent extremism (PVE and CVE). Youth summits, supported by governments and international bodies, took place in different parts of the world, engaging a wide range of young activists. The majority of these events reached similar conclusions about the need to actively involve young people in PVE and CVE. These events spanned regions, ethnicities, ideologies, gender and faiths to amplify the voices of young people. Details: London: Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2016. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 20, 2017 at: http://www.strategicdialogue.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/YouthCAN-Labs.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: http://www.strategicdialogue.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/YouthCAN-Labs.pdf Shelf Number: 141127 Keywords: Counter-Extremism Extremism Extremist Groups Online Communications Radical Groups Radicalization Social Media |
Author: Ybarra, Michele Title: Intimate Partner Digital Abuse Summary: Digital tools are often an integral part of healthy romantic relationships. Romantic partners frequently use digital tools to connect with each other through text messages, photo-sharing, social media posts, and other online activities. These same digital tools can be used in unhealthy ways, facilitating negative behaviors such as monitoring, unwanted picture sharing, and abusive messages — both within the romantic relationship and after the relationship is over. Better understanding how often intimate partner digital abuse is happening, to whom, and in what ways are critical pieces to understanding the scope of the problem. This report, part of a series of research reports on digital harassment and abuse, examines the prevalence and impact of intimate partner digital abuse. Findings are based upon the results of a nationally representative survey of 3,002 Americans 15 years of age and older conducted from May 17th through July 31st, 2016. Respondents were surveyed on either their landline or cell phone. Interviews were conducted in either English or Spanish. Findings in this report refer to the 2,810 respondents who have ever been in a romantic relationship. 12% of respondents who have ever been in a romantic relationship have experienced intimate partner digital abuse In order to examine the types of intimate partner digital abuse that respondents have experienced, we asked about 10 different types of online harassment and abuse. Experiences included being monitored online or by phone, being purposefully embarrassed online, being called offensive names, and being stalked. Because they could be perpetrated by anyone, those who said they had these experiences were then asked who the perpetrator was. Respondents who said they were targeted by a current or former romantic partner are said to have experienced intimate partner digital abuse. Overall, one in eight (12%) respondents who have ever had a romantic partner have been digitally harassed by a romantic partner in at least one of the 10 ways we asked about. These experiences were more common among particular individuals: • Three times as many younger people (22%) as those who were 30 years or older (8%) reported being digitally harassed by a current or former romantic partner. • 38% of individuals who identified as LGB have experienced intimate partner digital abuse, compared with 10% of heterosexual individuals. • More than two times as many divorced/separated (19%) and never married (18%) adults were digitally abused by a current or former romantic partner than people who were married/living with their partner (7%). Men and women experience intimate partner digital abuse at equal rates 12% of men have been targeted by a current or former romantic partner, as have 12% of women. This similarity in rates for men and women holds true for each of the different types of abuse we asked about. More victims with a history of intimate partner digital abuse experience personal or professional harms as a result of the abuse, compared with victims who have been targeted by other types of perpetrators Although we do not know whether this was a direct result of the intimate partner digital abuse or other digital harassment experiences perpetrated by non-romantic partners, more people who were targeted online by current or former romantic partners at some point in their lives reported harms as a result of online abuse compared to victims who were targeted by other types of perpetrators (e.g. friends, family, or strangers). Compared to almost one quarter (23%) of victims who had non-romantic partner perpetrators, more than three-quarters (77%) of victims with a history of intimate partner digital abuse experienced a personal or professional harm as a result of the abuse. Additionally, more victims who were targeted by an intimate partner said their reputation had been damaged (28%) or they had to shut down an online account or profile (25%) as a result of their digital abuse experiences compared to victims who were targeted by other types of perpetrators (8% and 11%, respectively). 77% of victims of intimate partner digital abuse have used at least one protective strategy; one in six have gotten a restraining order or protection order as a result of their digital abuse experiences The vast majority (77%) of victims of intimate partner digital abuse have taken some sort of protective action in response to their abusive experiences online, such as changing their contact information; reaching out to friends, family, or official sources of support; or withdrawing from communication platforms altogether — although we cannot say for sure whether these actions were taken as a result of digital abuse from their romantic partner or due to harassment from some other perpetrator. The most common protective strategy used by victims of intimate partner digital abuse was changing their phone number or email address (41%). In terms of seeking external support or protection, 16% have gotten a protection order or restraining order Details: New York: Data & Society Research Institute; San Clemente, CA: Center for Innovative Public health Research, 2017. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Report 01.18.17: Accessed March 3, 2017 at: https://datasociety.net/pubs/oh/Intimate_Partner_Digital_Abuse_2017.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://datasociety.net/pubs/oh/Intimate_Partner_Digital_Abuse_2017.pdf Shelf Number: 141321 Keywords: Dating ViolenceInternet CrimesIntimate Partner ViolenceOnline CommunicationsOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Lenhart, Amanda Title: Online Harassment, Digital Abuse, and Cyberstalking in America Summary: The internet and digital tools play an increasingly central role in how Americans engage with their communities: How they find and share information; how they connect with their friends, family, and professional networks; how they entertain themselves; how they seek answers to sensitive questions; how they learn about—and access— the world around them. The internet is built on the ideal of the free flow of information, but it is also built on the ideal of free-flowing discourse. However, one persistent challenge to this ideal has been online harassment and abuse—unwanted contact that is used to create an intimidating, annoying, frightening, or even hostile environment for the victim and that uses digital means to reach the target. As with their traditional expressions, online harassment and abuse can affect many aspects of our digital lives. Even those who do not experience online harassment directly can see it and respond to its effects; even the threat of harassment can suppress the voices of many of our citizens. In order to explore these issues and the ways that online environments affect our experiences online, this report examines American teens’ and adults’ experiences with witnessing, experiencing, and responding to the aftermath of online harassment and abuse. Its findings are based on the results of a nationally representative survey of 3,002 Americans 15 and older conducted from May 17th through July 31st, 2016. Respondents were contacted by landline and cell phone, and interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. 47% of internet users have experienced online harassment or abuse In order to examine the types of harassment and abuse that Americans have personally experienced, we asked internet users about 20 harassing behaviors over the course of the survey. Overall, almost half (47%) of Americans have personally experienced one of the harassing behaviors we asked about. The types of harassing behaviors we studied fall into three broad categories: • Direct harassment refers to things that people do directly to one another. Examples include: being called offensive names, being threatened physically, and being stalked. 36% of internet users have experienced this type of harassment. • Invasion of privacy refers to harms done to the victim through the unauthorized access to and exposure or spreading of information beyond the owner’s control. Experiences include: being hacked, having information about or images of the person exposed online without their permission, being impersonated, being monitored, and being tracked online. 30% of internet users have experienced this type of harassment. • Denial of access occurs when someone uses the features of the technology or platform to harm the victim, usually by preventing access to essential digital tools or platforms. Examples include: sending a very large number of unwanted messages, rendering the account unusable; misuse of reporting tools so that the person is blocked from using a platform; and technical attacks that overwhelm a device, site, server or platform and prevent access to it. 17% of internet users have experienced this type of harassment. Overall, almost three-quarters (72%) of American internet users have witnessed online harassment or abuse, and almost half (47%) of Americans have personally experienced one of the harassing behaviors we asked about. Men and women are equally likely to face harassment, but women experience a wider variety of online abuse, including more serious violations. Young people and sexual minorities are also more likely to experience online harassment or abuse—and more likely to be affected by it A common theme throughout our findings is that young people under age 30 and sexual minorities (respondents who identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual) were generally more likely to witness and/or experience online harassment or abuse. Black, sexual minority, and young Americans—especially young women— are also less likely than others to say that people are mostly kind to each other online, and more likely to say they self-censor what they post online in order to avoid harassment. Men are substantially less likely than women to describe what they experienced as harassment Internet users who have experienced harassing behaviors differ as to whether they think their experience constitutes ‘harassment’ or not. We found that women who have experienced the behaviors we asked about were substantially more likely than men who have experienced the same behaviors to say that they thought their experience constituted ‘harassment or abuse’ (53% of women who experienced harassing behaviors vs. 40% of men). Some behaviors were also more consistently considered ‘harassment’ by their targets. For instance, more than eight in ten people who experienced cyberstalking, sexual harassment, or persistent harassment agreed that their experiences constituted ‘online harassment or abuse,’ while fewer than six in ten people who experienced offensive name-calling said the same. Women were more likely than men to be angry, worried, or scared as a result of online harassment and abuse Among those who did say that what they experienced was online harassment and abuse, women were almost three times as likely as men to say the harassment made them feel scared, and twice as likely to say the harassment made them feel worried. Meanwhile, men who said they had been harassed were more likely than women to say they were ‘not bothered’ by the experience. However, almost all of those who were ‘not bothered’ also reported feeling another emotion (annoyed, worried, etc.) as well. 27% of all American internet users self-censor their online postings out of fear of online harassment More than a quarter of Americans (27%) say they have at some point decided not to post something online for fear of attracting harassment. While many internet users who have not encountered harassment still say they have self-censored to avoid potential harassment, people who have seen or experienced harassment online are much more likely to self-censor for this reason than those who have not. Looking at men and women of different age groups, we find that younger women are most likely to self-censor to avoid potential online harassment: 41% of women ages 15 to 29 self-censor, compared with 33% of men of the same age group and 24% of internet users ages 30 and older (men and women). Details: New York: Data & Society Research Institute; Clemente, CA: Center for Innovative Public Health Research, 2016. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Report 11.21.16: Accessed March 3, 2017 at: https://www.datasociety.net/pubs/oh/Online_Harassment_2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.datasociety.net/pubs/oh/Online_Harassment_2016.pdf Shelf Number: 141322 Keywords: Computer CrimesCyberstalkingOnline CommunicationsOnline HarassmentOnline victimizationSocial Media |
Author: Lenhart, Amanda Title: Nonconsensual Image Sharing: One in 25 Americans Has Been A Victim of "Revenge Porn" Summary: Nonconsensual image sharing, also commonly called 'revenge porn,' is when someone shows, sends, or posts nude or nearly nude photos or videos of someone else without the consent of the person pictured. In some cases, the images are created consensually, such as when romantic partners take pictures for each other or together. In other cases, these images may be created nonconsensually, such as when someone is secretly or forcibly photographed or taped. These images are also posted online in different ways. Images are sometimes posted by a romantic partner in the aftermath of a break up or during a fight, or may be obtained by someone hacking into a private online space and stealing the images. In all cases, these sensitive images are shared with third parties without the consent of the person pictured. In 2014, nonconsensual image sharing made headlines when dozens of celebrities’ private photos were exposed. An Illinois man published over 500 photos of celebrities (almost all of them women) that he had stolen from their email and online storage accounts. He had obtained targets' login credentials through a series of phishing attacks over the course of almost a year. Victims of this hack included actresses, models, and athletes; many of the celebrities targeted have spoken out about the emotional distress they have experienced from this invasion of privacy. More recently, a Saturday Night Live castmember was targeted by hackers and trolls, who mounted a campaign of racist and sexist attacks against the comedian on social media. Later, hackers stole private information from her online storage accounts—including nude photos and images of sensitive documents, such as her driver’s license and passport. The hackers also compromised the comedian's private website, then published the stolen material and racist images on her site. The exposure of her private materials was one component of a campaign of intimidation and retribution for speaking out against her previous harassment. The harms from nonconsensual image sharing can be substantial; a single act of posting sensitive images can cause lasting and ongoing reputational damage to victims. These images are often posted alongside personally-identifying information about the victim when they are posted in online spaces, which can lead to additional harassment and threats from third parties. Even if the images are never actually posted publically, the perpetrator may use threats to post such images as a method of controlling or intimidating the victim. Until recently, victims of nonconsensual pornography often faced difficulty pursuing legal action against perpetrators. Some perpetrators and operators of "revenge porn" websites have been prosecuted under existing laws, such as the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), for hacking, impersonation, identify theft, and extortion. Legal scholar Amanda Levendowski has also written that because most of the images in question were originally taken by the victims themselves, they may be able to seek protection under copyright laws;12 some victims have submitted take-down requests to websites under the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). In response to the lack of specific criminal laws against nonconsensual pornography and a growing public awareness of the issue, more than 30 states have passed legislation over the past three years attempting to define and criminalize "revenge porn" and other types of nonconsensual pornography, according to George Washington University Law professor Orin Kerr. While national legislation has yet to be passed, U.S. Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA) introduced a bill criminalizing revenge porn in mid-2016. Details: New York: Data & Society Research Institute; San Clemente, CA: Center for Innovative Public Health Research, 2016. 9p. Source: Internet Resource: Data Memo 12.13.2016: Accessed March 4, 2016 at: https://datasociety.net/pubs/oh/Nonconsensual_Image_Sharing_2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://datasociety.net/pubs/oh/Nonconsensual_Image_Sharing_2016.pdf Shelf Number: 146408 Keywords: Image SharingOnline VictimizationPornographyRevenge PornSexual HarassmentSocial Media |
Author: Kim, KiDeuk Title: 2016 Law Enforcement Use of Social Media Survey Summary: A national scan of practice among law enforcement agencies across the United States reveals that they use social media to notify the public of safety concerns, manage public relations, and gather evidence for criminal investigations. The Urban Institute and the International Association of Chiefs of Police partnered to develop a comprehensive understanding of law enforcement's use of social media. A total of 539 agencies representing 48 states participated in the survey and answered questions regarding their use of social media, the management of social media engagement activities, barriers to success, and their future social media needs. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2017. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 6, 2017 at: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/88661/2016-law-enforcement-use-of-social-media-survey.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/88661/2016-law-enforcement-use-of-social-media-survey.pdf Shelf Number: 145584 Keywords: Criminal InvestigationsInformation TechnologyPolice TechnologySocial Media |
Author: Wespieser, Karen Title: Young people and e-safety. The results of the 2015 London Grid for Learning e-safety survey Summary: The focus of the survey was to look at the wide and common online activities of London's young people. As found in previous LGfL surveys, children and young people use technology to have fun, study and communicate with others. Most children and young people have positive experiences online. On the whole they are sensible online and do not put themselves 'at risk'. However, there remain a number of areas where schools can support young people - and their families - in increasing their online safety. Nine out of ten young people access the Internet at home. Ten per cent of pupils therefore do not. Just over a third of young people would like more opportunity to use computers at school. As found in previous LGfL surveys , children and young people use technology to have fun, study and communicate with others. Most children and young people have positive experiences online. They are sensible online and do not put themselves 'at risk'. An increasing number of young people own their own device. Young people access the Internet through a range of devices but there are significant differences between boys and girls; boys use games consoles more than girls and more girls have a mobile device than boys. Very few young people report that they use these devices to access the Internet away from home. The home is therefore the key location for going online, outside of school. Forty per cent of 7-year-olds report that their parents always know what they do online; a percentage that (understandably) drops with age. Just over half of young people use a password on their device at home. This is slightly lower for devices that young people use at school. Of those that use a password, half report that someone else knows it, although the majority identified this person as a family member at home. Of those that use a password, a majority reported they do not change it regularly. Over half say that they never change it. Young people report that they spend their time online doing school work or studying. Three-quarters of young people report that they like playing games online but as they get older they play games less and spend more time on social networks and chat sites. Overall, the use of the Internet becomes more diverse as young people get older. There are also gender differences. More girls than boys listen or download music and use instant messaging. Conversely, more boys than girls report using YouTube and playing games. Many children play games not suitable for their age and a small but concerning minority play 18+ rated games. Of the young people playing age inappropriate games, two-thirds are boys. Furthermore, the greatest proportion of children who report playing these games also report they have parental consent. Unsuitable games include titles such as 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'Call of Duty'. Details: Slough: National Foundation for Educational Research, 2015. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 22, 2017 at; https://www.lgfl.net/downloads/online-safety/LGfL-OS-2015-E-Safety-Survey-Final-Report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.lgfl.net/downloads/online-safety/LGfL-OS-2015-E-Safety-Survey-Final-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 145162 Keywords: Child ProtectionComputer CrimeInternet CrimeOnline SafetyOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: National Crime Agency (UK) Title: Pathways Into Cyber Crime Summary: The report, which is based on debriefs with offenders and those on the fringes of criminality, explores why young people assessed as unlikely to commit more traditional crimes get involved in cyber crime. The report emphasises that financial gain is not necessarily a priority for young offenders. Instead, the sense of accomplishment at completing a challenge, and proving oneself to peers in order to increase online reputations are the main motivations for those involved in cyber criminality. During his debrief, Subject 7, who was jailed for Computer Misuse Act and fraud offences, told officers, "..it made me popular, I enjoyed the feeling... I looked up to those users with the best reputations". The report identifies that some offenders begin by participating in gaming cheat websites and 'modding' (game modification) forums before progressing to criminal hacking forums. The assessment notes that off-the-shelf tools such as DDOS-for-hire services and Remote Access Trojans (RATs) are available with step by step tutorials at little to no cost to the user, making the skills barrier for entry into cyber crime lower than it has ever been. It also highlights that whilst there is no socio-demographic bias, with people across the country from different backgrounds among offenders, the average age of cyber criminals is significantly younger than other crime types. In 2015, the average age of suspects in NCA cyber crime investigations was 17 years old, compared to 37 in NCA drugs cases and 39 in NCA economic crime cases. Subject 1, a member of a hacking collective who sold DDoS tools and Botnet services, told officers that a warning from law enforcement would have made him stop his activities. The report also identifies education and opportunities to use skills positively as helpful in steering potential offenders towards a future career in cyber security. Details: London: NCA, 2017. 18p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 28, 2017 at: http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/791-pathways-into-cyber-crime/f Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/791-pathways-into-cyber-crime/f Shelf Number: 145184 Keywords: Computer CrimesComputer HackingCybercrimeCybersecurityInternet CrimesSocial Media |
Author: Zakaria, Rafia Title: Hate and Incriminate: The U.S. Election, Social Media, and American Muslims Summary: In the grim days following the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, news commentator and retired Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Peters appeared on Fox News, saying: "Not all Muslims are terrorists, but virtually all terrorists are Muslim." Peters's statement represents the sort of venomous rhetoric that has emerged all too often this election. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has put an immigration ban on Muslims at the core of his nativist pitch to voters, alleging that American Muslims and mosques are knowingly harboring terrorists. While many Americans, including President Obama, have spoken out against Trump's characterization of American Muslims as terrorists, there has been little opposition to the premise that all terrorists are Muslims. The prevalence of Islamophobia has been coupled with a selective definition of terror under US law, contributing to the belief that all terrorists are Muslims and hence that all Muslims be viewed with suspicion, justifiably hated, excoriated, and even banned. At the same time, amplification by social media reinforces hostile political rhetoric, making legislative reform that protects Muslims as effectively as the rest of the population more difficult. This paper dissects the premise that terror is a particularly Muslim problem and analyzes the key role that social media is playing in this issue. The paper begins with a quantitative snapshot of both antiMuslim and anti-Islamophobic Google searches and statements made on social media. It then moves to a qualitative analysis of the low rates of reporting and prosecution of hate crimes against Muslims, paying particular attention to differing standards of proof required for these prosecutions. The second section looks at terror prosecutions of Muslims, noting how speech - and especially online speech - is treated very differently by courts when it involves Muslim American defendants and the mere possibility of terror connections. In paying particular attention to prosecutions under the Material Support for Terrorism Statute, we note how concerns raised in the prosecutorial context of hate crimes (such as requirements of intent and purposefulness) are summarily discarded when they arise in relation to terrorism cases. Details: New York: Tow Center for Digital Journalism Columbia Journalism School, 2016. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 12, 2017 at: http://cjrarchive.org/img/posts/US%20Election%2C%20Social%20Media%2C%20and%20American%20Muslims%20%28Zakaria%29.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://cjrarchive.org/img/posts/US%20Election%2C%20Social%20Media%2C%20and%20American%20Muslims%20%28Zakaria%29.pdf Shelf Number: 145455 Keywords: DiscriminationHate CrimesMediaMuslimsSocial MediaTerrorismTerrorists |
Author: Wazir, Burhan Title: Fear and the Ballot Box: How Political and Media Responses to Terrorism Influence Elections Summary: Cities like New York, Madrid, London, Paris, and Mumbai have long been home to protests, riots, and wars. As recent terrorist attacks have shown, cities can also turn into theaters of violence and high-profile targets of terrorist actions. These events exert pressure on both the media - who must quickly report on the incidents while providing accuracy, context, and analysis - and politicians, who are bound to enact new laws and security measures. And now, as social media has become pervasive, citizens across the world are active participants in the media when these acts occur, not just a passively consuming audience. The purpose of this paper is to examine how actions taken by politicians and members of the media have shaped recent elections in the wake of acts of terrorism and how the growth of social media platforms and web-based news has become part of the picture. One disturbing aspect of the current fight against terrorism is the disintegration of previously defined margins separating times of war from times of peace and civilians from combatants. While civilians have previously been frequently killed in wars - the bombing of Dresden in 1945 is just one example - they are usually nominally protected. Terrorism, on the other hand, deliberately exhibits no prohibition against the intentional targeting of civilians. The evolving, real-time nature of a terrorist attack also has an undeniable effect on the media, which finds itself acting as both filter and participant in the face of such violence, especially in an era when social media platforms have become a dominant new source of information for audience and journalist alike - and indeed sometimes even the attackers themselves. In the following report, I will examine four key elections - those which took place in Israel in 1996, the United States and Spain in 2004, and India in 2009 -to explore the relationship between terrorism and how it is portrayed in the media. Three of these elections took place in the wake of unique terror incidents: the 2008 siege of Mumbai, carried out by terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba; the 2004 Madrid bombings, which bore the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda; and the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, which was conducted by an Israeli extremist disillusioned with the recently signed Oslo Accords. The fourth case, the 2004 election in the United States, was fought around the theme of security - the first American presidential election held since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in the midst of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The release of a videotaped statement directed at the American public by Al-Qaeda's Osama bin Laden - known as an "October surprise" in US political shorthand - left an indelible impression on the election. Details: New York: Tow Center for Digital Journalism, Columbia Journalism School, 2016. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 12, 2017 at: http://cjrarchive.org/img/posts/Political%20and%20Media%20Responses%20to%20Terrorism%20%28Wazir%29.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: http://cjrarchive.org/img/posts/Political%20and%20Media%20Responses%20to%20Terrorism%20%28Wazir%29.pdf Shelf Number: 145456 Keywords: JournalismMediaPoliticsSocial MediaTerrorismVoting |
Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Home Affairs Committee Title: Hate Crime: Abuse, hate and extremism online Summary: Hate crime 1. Hate crime is defined as any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a personal characteristic. Hate crime can be motivated by disability, gender identity, race, religion or faith and sexual orientation. The inquiry 2. We announced this inquiry into hate crime and its violent consequences in early July 2016. Our decision to undertake the inquiry followed the murder of Jo Cox MP in June in the lead-up to the EU referendum. There was also evidence of an increase in the number of attacks on people from ethnic minorities and of non-British nationality, including on their community centres and places of worship, immediately following the referendum. In addition, our inquiry into antisemitism was already under way, which was raising serious questions about how to address wider issues around the actions of those holding extremist or fixated views. It therefore seemed particularly timely and necessary to launch this inquiry. 3. We have received a large volume of written evidence. We have taken oral evidence on a wide range of issues including Islamophobia, misogyny, far-right extremism, the role of social media in hate crime and the particular issues faced by Members of Parliament in relation to hate crime and its violent manifestations. Our witnesses have included academics, community organisations, social media companies, police forces and their representative organisations, the principal Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, and Ministers. We are grateful to everyone who has contributed to the inquiry. 4. The announcement by the Prime Minister on 18 April that she would seek a General Election on 8 June means that we have not had time to consider our conclusions on the wide range of issues raised during the inquiry. We hope that the Home Affairs Select Committee in the next Parliament is able to consider this evidence further and propose wider recommendations on tackling hate crime and some of the central issues that emerged in our hearings, including far-right extremism and islamophobia. We are publishing this short report in the meantime to address one aspect of our inquiry - the role of social media companies in addressing hate crime and illegal content online - on which we have taken considerable evidence and where we want our conclusions to inform the early decisions of the next Government, as well as the immediate work of social media companies. 5. We also wished to record our deep sadness about the tragic death of Jo Cox MP and we hope that in the next Parliament the Home Affairs Committee will also look further at the risks from hate, abuse and extremism in public life. Details: London: House of Commons, 2017. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Fourteenth Report of Session 2016-17: Accessed May 16, 2017 at: https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmhaff/609/609.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmhaff/609/609.pdf Shelf Number: 145484 Keywords: ExtremismExtremist GroupsFar-Right ExtremismHate CrimesIslamophobiaOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Radicalisation Awareness Network Title: Preventing Radicalisation to Terrorism and Violent Extremism: Delivering counter- or alternative narratives Summary: This approach involves the delivery of counter- or alternative narratives to challenge or offer alternatives to extremist ideas, either online or offline. Exposure to extremist propaganda - both online and offline - is critical to the process of radicalisation. Extremist narratives are effective because of their simplicity, their use of scapegoating, and their emotional appeals to fear, anger, shame and honour. Their messages are crafted to exploit identity issues that many young people may experience. It is upon this scaffolding that their violent and exclusionary ideologies are built. But the manner of transmission is equally vital. Popular extremist propaganda often includes: high production value, the use of fast-paced editing, music and a charismatic narrator, and a call to action. The professional and sophisticated use of social media by Daesh in particular has been a game-changer. Propaganda spread by terrorists and violent extremists is easily accessible. While they are increasingly making use of the so-called 'Dark Net', the majority of their efforts are focused on mainstream platforms. Extremists are also populating the spaces where young people consume and share information, socialise and are socialised. It is harder to predict and detect violent extremist actions, as extremist messages are spread more widely, rapidly and effectively via the internet and social media, and authorities are often not able to hold people accountable for this propaganda. Reducing accessibility to online terrorist material is important, as is acknowledging the difficulties in ridding the internet of all terrorist material. Whilst efforts to reduce accessibility to terrorist content are important, they, on their own, will not deter those looking for information. It has become increasingly apparent that preventing and tackling radicalisation leading to terrorism and violent extremism is not only a security issue. It is also about addressing public opinion and countering and challenging extremist ideologies - a strategy also known as 'winning the hearts and minds' Details: Brussels: European Commission, 2017. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 18, 2017 at: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/what-we-do/networks/radicalisation_awareness_network/ran-best-practices/docs/delivering_alternative_narratives_en.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Europe URL: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/what-we-do/networks/radicalisation_awareness_network/ran-best-practices/docs/delivering_alternative_narratives_en.pdf Shelf Number: 145566 Keywords: De-radicalization Extremism Radical Groups Radicalization Social MediaTerrorism Violent Extremism |
Author: Meleagrou-Hitchens, Alexander Title: Research Perspectives on Online Radicalisation: A Literature Review, 2006-2016 Summary: This literature review seeks to recalibrate our understanding of online radicalisation, hiw it is conceptualised within the literature and the extent to which the policy debate has advanced in response to technological and legal developments. Details: Dublin: VOX-Pol Network of Excellence, 2017. 98p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 19, 2017 at: http://icsr.info/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ResearchPerspectivesonOnlineRadicalisation.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: http://www.voxpol.eu/download/vox-pol_publication/DCUJ4985_Lit_Review_020517_final_web.pdf Shelf Number: 145639 Keywords: Online RadicalizationRadicalizationSocial MediaTerrorist Recruitment |
Author: Dyer, Catherine Title: Protecting Scotland's Children and Young People: It is Still Everyone's Job Summary: On 25th February 2016, the then Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Angela Constance MSP, announced a National Child Protection Improvement Programme for Scotland (CPIP). This programme includes existing commitments on child sexual exploitation; child trafficking; and internet safety, along with a number of new areas of work. These include: a review of practice in the Children's Hearings System; agreeing steps to promote and support leadership; refreshing the role of inspection agencies; improving data and evidence; agreeing further action to address the impact of neglect on children and young people; and a review looking at how the child protection system currently works and what could be improved across Scotland. A Child Protection Systems Review Group was established with representation from a wide range of professionals with child protection expertise at a national and local level, and independently chaired by Catherine Dyer (Former Crown Agent and Chief Executive of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service). The Review Group was asked by Ministers to look at the operation of the formal child protection system - including Child Protection Committees, Child Protection Registers and case conferences, and Initial and Significant Case Reviews - and to recommend what changes or improvements might be needed to these underpinning processes and structures in order to protect children and young people more effectively. This report outlines the matters considered by the Review Group, their conclusions and subsequent recommendations. Details: Edinburgh: Scottish Government, 2017. 82p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 19, 2017 at: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00514758.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00514758.pdf Shelf Number: 146261 Keywords: Child Protection Child Sexual Exploitation Child Trafficking Internet Safety Online Victimization Social Media |
Author: Fainberg, Alisa Title: Spread the Word: Russia Social Media on the Service of Jihad Summary: The phenomenon of terrorists using the Internet for their purposes is not new: online activity of terrorist groups and terrorist individuals is registered since the late 1990s and thereafter underwent essential changes. Such an interest is caused first of all by those apparent advantages terrorists gained from the Internet: freedom from traditional media limitations, decentralization and safety, access to wider audience, etc. The engagement with cyberspace also changed the basic principles of communication within terrorist groups: from chain network to "all to all" communication, which in turn influenced many aspects of terrorist activity, such as propaganda, fundraising, etc. At the beginning, terrorist groups dealt with websites, and later on expanded their presence to forums and chatrooms, which, despite their effectiveness, still remained limited in reaching wide audiences, since were not highly publicized, and on the contrary, were frequently password-protected and used for inner communication. Nevertheless, there are online communication tools which were (and are) used by Al-Qaeda while planning the 9/11 terror attack and others. Also, Ayman al-Zawahiri, a successor of Osama bin Laden, places high emphasis on electronic warfare and "jihad of the bayan" (message). Today, due to such factors such as technological development and radical changes in the core of online communications, one can observe two main trends in terrorist online activity: grasping of popular social media networks and the dark web. While the dark web (as well as password-protected websites and forums) are used by terrorists mainly as a safe haven and for inner communication, mainstream websites and social media networks allow terrorist groups and individuals to turn their activities into borderless and cosmopolitan ones within the cyberspace and to get unparalleled tools for reaching out to as wide an audience as possible. Communication technologies used for planning and coordinating jihadists' actions, form the basis for a transition to a less organized structures and enhance the capacity of small terrorist groups, which are able to carry out their operations in a decentralized manner. Social media networks have become an integral part of jihadi groups' modus operandi and are used for the following purposes: offensive activities (gathering information on potential targets, threats of attacks, cyber attacks, etc.) operational uses (inner and outer communication, propaganda, radicalization, recruitment, fundraising, etc.) Despite the fact that the Islamic State group (ISIS) was obviously not the first terror organization to employ social media networks, the rise of ISIS has definitely highlighted the phenomenon, and tens (if not hundreds) of academic and media analytic papers were written on this subject. Indeed, without any doubts one may claim that it was the Islamic State (ISIS) group, who made the quantum leap and propelled jihadi involvement in online communication to the next level. Not least thanks to using internet technologies, ISIS has changed the very patterns of jihadi propaganda, and the full impact of these changes is still to be assessed. The group had developed a multidivisional media empire, which includes various divisions with certain specializations, such as al-Furkan Foundation, al-Hayat Media Center, al-Bayan Radio, etc., as well as smaller media groups targeting specific audiences in local languages. Social media networks became an essential part of that empire. Among other features characterizing ISIS' propaganda are wide coverage of audience, high diversity of propaganda materials, and active use of the most popular social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., which led to unprecedented ISIS expansion in the virtual world. For example, in just one month, from 17 September 2014 to 17 October 2014, the acronym "ISIS" was mentioned in Twitter about 4,000,000 times. Advantages terrorist groups gain from social media networks stem from their very nature. Each network is used according its general dedication: YouTube for uploading video materials (statements, footage, video games announcements, etc.), Twitter for real time updating, hashtags, and, for instance, for targeting Western news media in order to receive from them immediate reaction, etc. Moreover, democratic and dialogue-oriented, social media not just pushed the limits of propaganda distribution, but contributed to creation of a new form of jihadi propaganda - a public one, which is created, developed and distributed not by the official media centers of a particular terrorist group, but by its remote followers and supporters, who act at their own discretions. Seeking to expand their presence in social media for further advantages, ISIS media centers started to search for additional local social media platforms, and in 2013 put their attention to popular Russian social media networks: VKontakte (In Contact) and Odnoklassniki (Classmates), and for a relatively short period (compared to its presence on Facebook and Twitter) "occupied" these two with its propaganda activities. There are a number of pull factors which could explain such an attention of ISIS to the Runet (the Russian segment of Internet). First of all, Russian foreign fighters comprise a significant part of jihadists combating in Syria, and consequently are significant targets of ISIS propaganda. Secondly, until a certain point in 2014, Russian social media were hardly censored and security services did not initiate any measures against jihadi online activity in Vkontakte (VK) and Odnoklassniki (OK), which became another pulling factor for ISIS to turn its attention towards the Russian internet. This paper will examine the development of jihadist usage of Russian social media in the context of the branched system of ISIS' Russian-language media, the specifics of the message oriented toward Russian-speaking audience and translated through the platforms, as well as countering actions made by both government and private companies for a better understanding of the phenomenon. Details: Herzliya, Israel: International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, 2017. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 19, 2017 at: https://www.ict.org.il/Article/1987/russia-social-media-on-the-service-of-jihad Year: 2017 Country: Russia URL: https://www.ict.org.il/Article/1987/russia-social-media-on-the-service-of-jihad Shelf Number: 146266 Keywords: Islamist STateJihadist GroupsSocial MediaSocial NetworksTerrorismTerrorist Propaganda |
Author: Costello, William A., Jr. Title: The New Walking Beat: A Model Assessment Tool for Using Social Media to Enhance Community Policing Summary: Purpose: In recent years, social media has become a primary method and forum of interaction within communities. The theory and common practice of community policing requires law enforcement agencies to be engaged with all segments of the community in their efforts to preserve the peace and maintain public safety. The purpose of this applied research project is threefold. First, it describes the ideal components of an effective social media campaign in the context of community policing. Second, it assesses the Austin Police Department's (APD) social media outreach using these ideal type components. Third, based on the assessment, it provides recommendations for improving the APD's social media outreach so that the department's emphasis on community policing is maximized. A review of the literature identified three key components of an effective social media campaign in the context of community policing. These components include building community partnerships through social media, integrating social media with problem solving and integrating social media policies and procedures. Methodology: The literature identified the components of an effective social media campaign in the context of community policing. These components are used to construct a model assessment tool. This tool is used to assess the Austin Police Department's social media campaign in the context of community policing in conjunction with document analysis and semi-structured interviews to form a case study. Findings: The Austin Police Department's social media outreach adequately uses social media to enhance its community policing mission. The implementation of more formalized policies and procedures and adequately equipping the department with more trained personnel, dedicated finances and current technology to maintain an up to date and 24/7 social media presence is necessary as the department continues to grow. Details: San Marcos, TX: Texas State University, 2015. 151p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed June 26, 2017 at: https://digital.library.txstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10877/5868/CostelloWilliam.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://digital.library.txstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10877/5868/CostelloWilliam.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 146378 Keywords: Community PolicingPolice and the MediaPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPublicity CampaignsSocial Media |
Author: Center for the Study of Democracy Title: Improving and sharing knowledge on the Internet role in the processes of human trafficking and smuggling: National report for Bulgaria Summary: This concise report is based on a deep exploration of the Bulgarian web and in-depth interviews with key informants. It provides a specific focus on the use of Internet in the recruitment, transportation and advertisement of services in the processes of trafficking in human beings and smuggling of human beings (THB and SHB). Analysed are the life and the professional experiences of the key informants interviewed, as well as online contents predominantly with job advertisements for sex workers and cheap labour abroad. After outlining a more general country profile for Bulgaria's experience with and legislation combatting the process of trafficking in human beings, the report has identified common trends in the tactical approach to online recruitment and the potential risks of trafficking related to it. Details: Sofia: The Center, 2017. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 1, 2017 at: http://www.csd.bg/artShow.php?id=17951 Year: 2017 Country: Bulgaria URL: http://www.csd.bg/artShow.php?id=17951 Shelf Number: 146496 Keywords: Human Smuggling Human Trafficking Internet Crimes Social Media |
Author: Conway, Maura Title: Disrupting Daesh: Measuring Takedown of Online Terrorist Material and Its Impacts Summary: This report seeks to contribute to public and policy debates on the value of social media disruption activity with respect to terrorist material. We look in particular at aggressive account and content takedown, with the aim of accurately measuring this activity and its impacts. Our findings challenge the notion that Twitter remains a conducive space for Islamic State (IS) accounts and communities to flourish, although IS continues to distribute propaganda through this channel. However, not all jihadists on Twitter are subject to the same high levels of disruption as IS, and we show that there is differential disruption taking place. IS's and other jihadists' online activity was never solely restricted to Twitter. Twitter is just one node in a wider jihadist social media ecology. We describe and discuss this, and supply some preliminary analysis of disruption trends in this area. Details: Dublin, Ireland: VOX-Pol Network of Excellence, 2017. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 10, 2017 at: http://www.voxpol.eu/download/vox-pol_publication/DCUJ5528-Disrupting-DAESH-1706-WEB-v2.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Europe URL: http://www.voxpol.eu/download/vox-pol_publication/DCUJ5528-Disrupting-DAESH-1706-WEB-v2.pdf Shelf Number: 148131 Keywords: DaeshInternetIslamic StateJihadistsSocial MediaTerrorism |
Author: Eerten, Jan-Jaap van Title: Developing a social media response to radicalization The role of counter-narratives in prevention of radicalization and de-radicalization Summary: Radical groups thrive by spreading their message. They have increasingly used social media to spread their propaganda and promote their extremist narratives. Including on websites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. In this study, the main question that we investigate is to what extent it is possible to use counter-narrative programs via social media to de-radicalize individuals or prevent violent extremism. We focus on violent radicalization connected to SalafiJihadism. Due to the political and societal context in which this project was initiated, NCTV and WODC were interested in this specific form of radicalization. The method we used consisted of a literature study, interviews (n=8) and three focus groups (n=6, n=7 and n=8) with people with different expertise and backgrounds (including academics, field workers, social media students and a former radical. In this study, narratives are conceptualized as strategically constructed storylines that are projected and nurtured through (online) strategic communication activities by state and non-state actors in attempts to shape how target audiences feel about or understand events or issues, and ultimately, guide their behavior in a manner that is conducive to their aims and goals. We conceptualize counter-narratives as strategically constructed storylines that are projected and nurtured through strategic communication (or messaging) activities with the intention to undermine the appeal of extremist narratives of violent extremist groups. Narratives have been projected by radical groups through a wide range of social media, including YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. For counter-narratives on social media, we identify three domains: (1) countermessaging (e.g., activities that challenge extremist narratives head on); (2) alternative messaging (e.g., activities that aim to provide a positive alternative to extremist narratives); and (3) strategic communication by the government (e.g., activities that provide insight in what the government is doing). A central outcome of our analysis is that to the extent that people have become more radical and strongly identify with an extremist ideology or group, they are less likely to be persuaded by any counter-narrative campaign. In general, it's challenging to persuade people with strong convictions through (online) campaigning. They are typically not very receptive to messages that aim to change their views. However, it will be very difficult to challenge people with extremist attitudes. They may not pay attention to these messages or even may adopt a stronger attitude in the other direction than intended as a reaction to this persuasive attempt. Thus, we argue that counter-narrative campaigns may be most useful for prevention purposes. They could perhaps focus on those that appear to be sensitive to extremist views and information - to the extent that they can be identified meaningfully. In addition, we have raised the question whether or not such counter narrative efforts may have some effect for the individuals from radical groups who show a glimpse of doubt about their group. For such individuals, a counter-narrative message may fall on fertile grounds and a seed may be planted, although this is highly speculative at the moment and more research is needed to support this notion. A sound starting point for designing a counter-narrative campaign is research. One should develop a sound understanding of (the context of) 'the problem', underlying determinants, where communication can potentially contribute to a solution. Here it is advisable to consider relevant theories and insights about radicalization and attitude and behavioral change. Beyond borrowing from existing theory, program planners do well to develop a sound theory of change that explicates how campaign efforts are expected to lead to the desired result. In addition, the audience should be carefully defined and segmented on the bases of meaningful variables. This requires thorough audience research. Campaigns targeting an overly broad and general target audience run the risk of being ineffective and may be counterproductive. It is therefore recommendable to focus on narrow, specific audience segments. In addition to studying the audience, it is important to develop an in-depth understanding of the extremist narratives one aims to counter. When deciding upon which elements of, for example, the Salafi-Jihadi narrative one aims to counter, we argue it is also important to consider why members of the target audience in question may be attracted to these narratives. Radicalizing individuals that are looking for extremist content may have different motives. Different motives of radical people may request different alternative or counter-narrative content. Some may be drawn to an extremist ideology. However, there are a variety of other reasons that may motivate people, such as the need for group-membership and camaraderie, a search for meaning, the need for excitement and adventure. As suggested, it is important to clarify the desired outcome, and the steps towards that outcome. Relatedly, at the outset of a campaign, goals and objectives should be delineated that clearly specify which change one aims to achieve. Well-defined objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Running an effective social media effort also requires adequate resources (time, finances, people) which should be assessed at the outset of a program. It is also important to give consideration to potential partners. Involving partners from within local communities in campaign development and delivery may benefit a campaign effort. Control over the message is not strictly assured when it is released on social media. Of course, it is still important to give consideration to the content of the message. As put forward earlier, to the extent that this is possible, it may be fruitful to consider the different motives of radical people. Besides content, it is important to think about different aspects of the message. Messages that use the narrative format have the advantage of using subtle ways to influence people and may overcome various forms of resistance. In addition, double-sided messages (in which one side is being discredited) and messages with a strong emotional appeal may prove to be particularly persuasive. In terms of sources, it is clear that they need to be perceived as credible by the audience in order to function as trustworthy messengers. Commonly mentioned candidates are former extremists, victims of violence, peers and family, as well as key members of communities and civil society actors. The potential of the government to serve as a credible source might be limited. Among other things, the government often suffers from a say-do gap in the eyes of relevant target audiences. Yet, which messenger will in fact effective will depend on the context, the target audience, and the message one wants to relay. Also, it should be noted that source is a murky entity in social media environments. For instance, processes of information transfer may obscure the original source of a message or make it difficult to interpret who the source is. Some researchers also maintain that social media environments complicate traditional insights about credibility indicators. In terms of selected channels, obviously they should be frequently utilized by the audience one intends to reach. Using multiple channels is argued to be beneficial. Importantly, social media may not be appropriate in all circumstances, and linking online with offline activities is suggested to be particularly effective. In terms of message dissemination, one may join already on-going 'conversations'. Also, it may be beneficial to partner up with people and organizations that have already established a strong social media presence and are popular among the target audience. In some cases, it may also be useful to ask established online (news) outlets to share the message. Furthermore, it may be important to create opportunities for audience engagement. One should also give consideration to aspects such as timing and volume. Finally, we argue it is important to assess the potential risks, challenges and limitations when developing a communication strategy. These might include losing control of the message, counter-campaigns, threats to safety and well-being of messengers, and multi-tier approval processes that hamper campaign efforts, as well as the notorious difficulty of demonstrating the effect of counter-narrative efforts. Generally speaking, it is not easy to establish an effect of a policy or measure in counter violent extremism (CVE). For the potential effectiveness of a counter-narrative campaign, it is important to distinguish between a formative evaluation, a process evaluation and a summative evaluation. Specifically tailored at online interventions, we argue that a combination of awareness (e.g., reach and views) and engagement metrics (e.g., likes, shares, comments and emoji responses) can provide some insight into the extent to which a counter-narrative campaign achieved its desired effect. More traditional research techniques such as interviews and focus groups can give insight in the reception of online materials (thus useful in the formative phase), but can also provide input in the interpretation of quantitative data in the summative evaluation phase. Experiments (either offline or online) offer insight in the cause-and-effect-relationship, while "netnography" makes use of data usually obtained from observations of people in their regular social media environments. Sentiment and content analyses are methods to distract the overall evaluation towards a counter-narrative campaign as well as the specific narratives that were put forward in a particular online community. Finally, social network analyses may give insight into the structure of a group and potentially how this might change over time, although the use of this technique in this field has not yet been fully established. Government actors are not well-suited to act as a counter-narrative producer or messenger. They tend to lack credibility as effective messengers with relevant target audiences. In part, because they are perceived to suffer from a say-do gap, which means their actions and words do not always match in the view of the audience. However, they still can still their part. First, governments can fruitfully engage in streamlining their own strategic communications in terms of explaining their own actions locally and in an international context. Second, the government can play a valuable role by facilitating grassroots and civil society actors best placed to act as counter-narrative messengers. They can do so by establishing an infrastructure to support these initiatives and by sponsoring such efforts (providing help, expertise or financial support) as well as. Yet, they should be cautious, as government endorsement or support for such initiatives may act as a 'kiss of death' and undermine them. Thirdly, they could stimulate thorough monitoring and evaluation, as there is only limited evidence for the effectiveness of counter-narrative efforts. Finally, government efforts could focus on supporting the development of programs in the area of strengthening digital literacy and critical consumption skills In terms of limitations of the current study, in our analysis, we have focused only on counter-narratives with respect to the Jihadi ideology. As such, it is not possible to generalize these findings to other groups (e.g., extreme right wings groups). Furthermore, due to the fact that there is hardly any strong empirical research available, we had to base some of our analysis on the general literature on persuasion and communication campaigns, as well as some "grey literature" (e.g., policy papers, working papers, and recommendations). This undermines the options to draw strong conclusions from the current analysis, as one might question the extent to which it is possible to generalize from the general field of persuasion to the specific field of online counternarratives. We conclude that, although presenting online counter-narratives appears to be intuitively an appealing strategy to employ, our analysis shows that this may not be an ideal option to deradicalize people. It might be more fruitful to use counter-narratives in a prevention context, in which people's minds are still open enough to register and process the information presented. Alternatively, it might be possible to explore the options to expose known individuals (e.g., a convicted prisoner) with specific counter-narratives, but ideally not in an online context, but an offline context, in order to directly monitor the reactions of the individuals. Details: Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam - Department of Psychology/Department of Political Science, 2017. 152p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 28, 2017 at: https://english.wodc.nl/binaries/2607_Volledige_Tekst_tcm29-286136.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Netherlands URL: https://english.wodc.nl/binaries/2607_Volledige_Tekst_tcm29-286136.pdf Shelf Number: 148510 Keywords: Counter-radicalizationExtremismExtremist GroupsRadical GroupsRadicalizationSocial MediaTerrorismViolent Extremism |
Author: Pew Research Center Title: Online Harassment 2017 Summary: To borrow an expression from the technology industry, harassment is now a "feature" of life online for many Americans. In its milder forms, it creates a layer of negativity that people must sift through as they navigate their daily routines online. At its most severe, it can compromise users' privacy, force them to choose when and where to participate online, or even pose a threat to their physical safety. A new, nationally representative Pew Research Center survey of 4,248 U.S. adults finds that 41% of Americans have been personally subjected to harassing behavior online, and an even larger share (66%) has witnessed these behaviors directed at others. In some cases, these experiences are limited to behaviors that can be ignored or shrugged off as a nuisance of online life, such as offensive name-calling or efforts to embarrass someone. But nearly one-in-five Americans (18%) have been subjected to particularly severe forms of harassment online, such as physical threats, harassment over a sustained period, sexual harassment or stalking. Social media platforms are an especially fertile ground for online harassment, but these behaviors occur in a wide range of online venues. Frequently these behaviors target a personal or physical characteristic: 14% of Americans say they have been harassed online specifically because of their politics, while roughly one-in-ten have been targeted due to their physical appearance (9%), race or ethnicity (8%) or gender (8%). And although most people believe harassment is often facilitated by the anonymity that the internet provides, these experiences can involve acquaintances, friends or even family members. For those who experience online harassment directly, these encounters can have profound realworld consequences, ranging from mental or emotional stress to reputational damage or even fear for one's personal safety. At the same time, harassment does not have to be experienced directly to leave an impact. Around one-quarter of Americans (27%) say they have decided not to post something online after witnessing the harassment of others, while more than one-in-ten (13%) say they have stopped using an online service after witnessing other users engage in harassing behaviors. At the same time, some bystanders to online harassment take an active role in response: Three-in-ten Americans (30%) say they have intervened in some way after witnessing abusive behavior directed toward others online. Yet even as harassment permeates many users' online interactions, the public offers conflicting views on how best to address this issue. A majority of Americans (62%) view online harassment as a major problem, and nearly eight-in-ten Americans (79%) say online services have a duty to step in when harassment occurs on their platforms. On the other hand, they are highly divided on how to balance concerns over safety with the desire to encourage free and open speech - as well as whether offensive content online is taken too seriously or dismissed too easily. Details: Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2017. 85p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 6, 2017 at: http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/07/11/online-harassment-2017/ Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/07/11/online-harassment-2017/ Shelf Number: 148745 Keywords: Computer Crimes Cyberstalking Online Communications Online Harassment Online Victimization Social Media |
Author: Hamilton-Giachritsis, Catherine Title: Everyone deserves to be happy and safe: A mixed methods study exploring how online and offline child sexual abuse impact young people and how professionals respond to it Summary: This study sought to develop an understanding of: - How young people who have experienced online or offline sexual abuse are impacted by it - with a focus on their voices and perspectives - Any specific effects of technology-assisted sexual abuse and related support needs - Professional responses to young people affected by sexual abuse and professional perceptions of technology-assisted abuse and its impact - Young people's views on how prevention and intervention around sexual abuse, particularly technology-assisted, could be improved This mixed methods exploratory study (for methods and participant numbers see Table 1) was approved by three ethics committees (the NSPCC, University of Birmingham, University of Bath). Carrying out this research required careful balancing of young people's rights of 'protection' and 'participation'. While the research represents an important step in identifying the impact of and responses to child sexual abuse in the UK today, especially that which is technology-assisted, its limitations must be borne in mind. In addition to the small samples sizes and the cross-sectional nature of the sample, it is important to keep in mind the potential biases related to the sample recruitment. The young people interviewed and who answered the questionnaires were recruited from NSPCC services, Childline and the National Crime Agency. Key findings - Online abuse is sometimes perceived as having less impact and being of less immediate concern than offline abuse by professionals. - TA-CSA abuse is no less impactful than offline-only sexual abuse. - Technology provides additional routes both to access young people to abuse, and to manipulate and silence them. - With TA-CSA, there are additional elements for young people to contend with, related to control, permanence, blackmail, revictimisation and self-blame. - Some professionals noted that victims are more often 'blamed', seen as participating in the abuse or do not see it as abuse when it is online. Details: London: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, 2017. 73p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 7, 2017 at: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/impact-online-offline-child-sexual-abuse.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/impact-online-offline-child-sexual-abuse.pdf Shelf Number: 148750 Keywords: Child Sexual AbuseComputer CrimesOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Sy, Emerson Y. Title: Trading Faces: Utilisation of Facebook to Trade Live Reptiles in the Philippines Summary: The trade in live reptiles as pets has increased significantly in the last three decades with Asian countries playing an increasing role as important trade hubs and consumers. In the Philippines, all non-native and native reptile species are protected under the Wildlife Act of 2001 and enthusiasts are required to obtain permits to keep reptiles legally. Physical markets were traditionally the main source of live reptiles, but some illegal wildlife traders suspected to have been displaced by successful enforcement actions have increasingly turned to online platforms to continue their illicit trading activities. Facebook is an immensely popular social networking website with more than 47 million active monthly users in the Philippines. Recognising the increasing importance of Facebook in live reptile trade, TRAFFIC researchers conducted a three-month survey from June-August 2016 to elucidate current trade dynamics, analyse trends, and identify areas for future work. CITES trade data for non-native reptiles imported to the Philippines from 2005-2016 were also analysed to determine species and quantities imported into the country over the 12-year period. A total of 2245 unique live reptile advertisements representing 115 taxa and a minimum of 5082 individuals were posted by 1046 traders in 90 pre-selected Facebook groups. The cumulative membership (i.e. summed membership without removing people who were members of multiple groups) in the 90 Facebook groups at the beginning of the survey was 359 328, but quickly increased by 11% within three months. The estimated potential value of all advertised reptiles recorded during this study was PHP26 451 345 (USD570 148). The results of this study were shared by TRAFFIC with the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) and Facebook to augment their trade data and for follow-up action. The top 10 most commonly-traded species alone accounted for 82% of all animals recorded to be offered for sale on Facebook. Thirty four percent of traded taxa are native and legally protected in the Philippines, including the two Critically Endangered Philippine Forest Turtles Siebenrockiella leytensis offered. Practically all available native specimens found for sale were likely collected illegally from the wild since there are no credible commercial captive breeding programmes in the country. Based on current Philippine wildlife law and regulations, at least 80% of documented online traders in this study were deemed involved, knowingly or otherwise, in illegal trading activities. Research also showed that within Metro Manila, the preferred method of parties to finalise a transaction is to meet at a pre-arranged place such as at the trader's residence, pet center or train station. Philippines also reported the import of 6078 live non-native reptiles representing 72 taxa, from 25 countries between 2005-2016. Fifty two percent of taxa (n = 60) available in trade were internationally regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Five non-native CITES Appendix I-listed reptiles, representing 36 animals were also recorded for trade in the 90 Facebook groups. None of them had importation records, according to the BMB, and were therefore traded illegally. This includes the 20 Critically Endangered Radiated Tortoises Astrochelys radiata endemic to Madagascar and the seven Endangered Big-headed Turtles Platysternon megacephalum. Further, 33 non-native CITES Appendix II-listed species were also offered for sale on Facebook. Of these, 28 individuals from eight species had no importation records since 1981, meaning they were very likely acquired and being traded illegally. The availability of non-native species, including CITES Appendix I-listed taxa, without legal importation records suggests smugglers exploited loopholes in the implementation of Philippine wildlife and Customs rules and regulations. The weak implementation of wildlife law and corruption, where there have been recent reported cases with airport personnel facilitating trade, are factors affecting wildlife trade governance at seaports and airports. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) anti-illegal wildlife trade efforts will continue to be undermined unless import/export loopholes are addressed and those individuals involved are held accountable to the full extent of the law. The trade also directly threatens native and endemic reptiles due to unabated wildlife poaching throughout the country. Details: Selangor, Malaysia: TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional Office, 2018. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 1, 2018 at: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/157301/27803939/1516283835030/Facebook-Reptile-Trade-Philippines.pdf?token=CejcV%2BesSUguyxJBC0RKP5hWCVc%3D Year: 2018 Country: Philippines URL: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/157301/27803939/1516283835030/Facebook-Reptile-Trade-Philippines.pdf?token=CejcV%2BesSUguyxJBC0RKP5hWCVc%3D Shelf Number: 148958 Keywords: Animal PoachingIllegal TradeIllegal Wildlife TradeReptilesSocial MediaWildlife CrimeWildlife Trade |
Author: Hales, Gavin Title: A 'Sexting' Surge or a Conceptual Muddle? The challenges of analogue law and ambiguous crime recording Summary: 'Sexting' - the sending and receiving by children and young people of 'youth produced sexual imagery'1 - has emerged as a growing phenomenon in recent years, facilitated by the advent of near universal smart phone ownership.2 While it may often take place within the confines of consensual sexual relationships, in some cases 'sexting' has been associated with bullying, threats or exploitation, with significant consequences for the subjects of the images, particularly where those images are widely circulated without their consent. At times the police have been called on to act, whether by victims or for example their parents or schools. The response of police forces and the wider criminal justice system has periodically been called into question with allegations that children have been unduly criminalised, particularly following publicity given to individual cases (eg BBC, 2015). The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) recently published new data on the nature of 'sexting' by children (under 18), as recorded by police forces in England and Wales, under the headline 'Police dealing with rising number [of] 'sexting' cases involving children' (NPCC, 2017). They reported that there has been a 'surge in children sharing or possessing sexual images of themselves or others' with recorded offences more than doubling in three years; that girls are recorded as victims three times as often as boys; and that girls and boys are equally likely to be recorded as suspects or perpetrators. This paper discusses whether a meaningful line can be drawn from the NPCC data to the nature and underlying social issues associated with 'sexting', including who is involved, how 'sexting' is changing over time, and how the police service is responding. In addressing those questions this paper identifies a conceptual muddle at the intersection of four factors that will be examined in some detail: - Antiquated law that did not anticipate digital technology, including children taking and distributing indecent images of themselves. - Complex and ambiguous police crime recording and counting rules and practices. - Attempts to avoid unnecessarily 'criminalising' children. - Crime data published with limited detail and without caveats. It concludes by asking if the law on 'indecent images of children' needs updating with some specific exemptions for children, to reflect the world as it is today and avoid logically counterproductive consequences, including the risk that children may be deterred from reporting victimisation. Details: London: Police Foundations, 2018. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Perspectives on Policing: Paper 4: Accessed February 2, 2018 at: http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/2017/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/perspectives_on_policing_sexting_FINAL.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/2017/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/perspectives_on_policing_sexting_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 148976 Keywords: Child PornographyChild Sexual ExploitationInternet CrimesSex CrimesSextingSocial Media |
Author: Perkins, Derek Title: Interventions for perpetrators of online child sexual exploitation: a scoping review and gap analysis Summary: Technology has become a primary medium for child sexual abuse and exploitation. Like offline behaviour, technology-facilitated abuse and exploitation can take many forms, such as the recording of the sexual assault of a child or communicating with a child via mobile devices. Online and offline spaces are not always clearly distinguishable: abuse and exploitation can start in one space and move to the other. In this report, we describe sexually abusive activities towards a child or young person as 'online child sexual abuse' (OCSA) - or, where there are gains beyond sexual gratification, 'online child sexual exploitation' (OCSE) - if they are carried out via technology. Various interventions for perpetrators of OCSA and OCSE are available, ranging from one-toone sessions to manualised treatment groups. Little is known about the effectiveness of existing interventions, and whether there are gaps in the current intervention response. To improve knowledge of treatment in these areas, this scoping review obtained information from three sources: - online searches - a literature review and enquiries to service providers in relation to existing interventions - an online survey of experts and stakeholders - in-depth interviews drawn from the survey participants. These yielded information about the different interventions currently provided for perpetrators of OCSA/E, their effectiveness (where known), gaps within current interventions, and forthcoming challenges in the field. Key messages from the research Lack of evaluation and research Law enforcement, offender management and child protection services have had to be responsive to the urgent and growing issue of OCSA/E, despite limited evidence on the underlying psychological models of OCSA/E behaviour. Responding to need has, understandably, outrun the collection of scientific evidence, and there has been a lack of systematic evaluation of interventions' effectiveness. Sense of being overwhelmed Whilst professionals involved in this area felt strongly about the positive impact of their work, they also communicated a sense of feeling overwhelmed with regard to the high numbers of OCSA/E perpetrators, the lack of funding available for their services, and the need for specific training for professionals involved in this area. Need to increase knowledge generation and exchange Professionals expressed a desire for enhanced knowledge generation and exchange, especially with regard to increasing the empirical knowledge base on the risks and needs presented by the perpetrators of OCSA/E, and the lack of professional tools to assist with decision-making regarding risk and treatment. Enhance existing intervention response Interventions for perpetrators of OCSA/E remain limited and are largely similar in their client focus, scope and funding approach. They predominantly focus on psychoeducation and addressing psychological markers of offending behaviour, are provided for adult males known to the criminal justice system, and are paid for by the client or as part of court-ordered or mandatory interventions. Early intervention focus The scoping review also identified a demand for a shift towards preventative approaches - to increase public awareness and targeted at young people through educational resources. Sex education, including internet safety and pornography use, was highlighted by professionals as needing to be an integral part of the school curriculum. Professionals also discussed the implications of providing interventions for OCSA/E perpetrators not known to the criminal justice system, and for non-offending individuals who may be concerned about their sexual interest. Characteristics of existing interventions Online offending has become a focus in interventions provided for people with a sexual conviction and their victims. This scoping review identified 48 services or agencies that contribute to interventions for OCSA/E offending by providing interventions themselves, commissioning or conducting relevant research, and providing knowledge exchange events for professionals. This included eight UK-based services that directly provide interventions for perpetrators of OCSA/E. Most interventions are focused on adult male perpetrators (predominantly those known to the criminal justice system), with limited support provided for adolescents, female perpetrators, or the perpetrator's support network such as family members or friends. The reviewed intervention services typically provide psychological assessments and individual or group treatment. A key difference between UK and some international providers is the ability of the latter to work with perpetrators without the requirement for statutory disclosure to the criminal justice system on matters that would require disclosure in the UK (for example in respect of specific information on past unprosecuted offences). Quality control in relation to the provided interventions is variable. The empirical research on which they are based is not always up to date or specific to the offender subgroup. Service evaluations mainly comprise qualitative feedback from service users rather than more multifaceted pre-post treatment assessments. Implications from the research The scoping review highlighted a number of areas for future development and professional practice: - Intervene earlier and more broadly. This includes offence-prevention strategies such as public education about the nature of OCSA/E and their legal classification, enhancing service provisions for nonoffending individuals attracted to children, and reducing access to sexually exploitative material of children and young people. - Enhance the treatment response for (known) offenders. This may include expanding the existing client target group, increasing accessibility of services and increasing staff support. It may also include staying up to date on emergent issues in the field, such as new opportunities for OCSA/E arising with novel technologies. - Generate and share knowledge. This may include OCSA/E-specific training for professionals working in the field, support for research engagement, and knowledge exchange and collaboration between professionals and partner agencies. A key research need is to conduct systematic intervention evaluations. Details: Ilford, Esssex, UK: Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, 2018. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Child sexual exploitation perpetrators research programme, report 5: Accessed February 22, 2018 at: https://www.csacentre.org.uk/csa-centre-prod/assets/File/CSE%20perpetrators%205%20-%20Interventions%20for%20perpetrators%20of%20online%20CSE.pdf Year: 2018 Country: International URL: https://www.csacentre.org.uk/csa-centre-prod/assets/File/CSE%20perpetrators%205%20-%20Interventions%20for%20perpetrators%20of%20online%20CSE.pdf Shelf Number: 149208 Keywords: Child PornographyChild Sexual AbuseChild Sexual ExploitationComputer CrimesInternet CrimesIntervention ProgramsSex Offender TreatmentSex OffendersSocial Media |
Author: Walker, Kate Title: Characteristics and perspectives of adults who have sexually exploited children: Scoping research Summary: There is a lack of information about individuals who perpetrate child sexual exploitation (CSE) offences. This report describes one of three research projects commissioned by the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse to build an evidence base about this population. The projects' aims were to: ‣ investigate the characteristics of those who commit CSE ‣ identify the nature and dynamics of their behaviours, their motivations and the way they target and exploit their victims. The report will be of interest to frontline practitioners, service providers, commissioners of services, policy makers, researchers and academics. Method Notes from police intelligence briefings with 27 perpetrators of CSE were analysed, using content analysis to extract demographic information about CSE perpetrators. Additionally, interviews were undertaken with 18 adults who had sexually offended against children; using the current (2017) Government definition of CSE for England, these 18 adults were classified as either CSE perpetrators (n = 11) or Non-CSE perpetrators (n = 7). Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data, to identify common themes that captured the characteristics and motivations of CSE perpetrators. Key findings and gaps in research knowledge ‣ There has been little research to date that has specifically examined the characteristics, context and motivations of CSE perpetrators. ‣ It is difficult to identify CSE perpetrators, since most sexual offences are not specific to CSE and individuals who have committed CSE offences have not been categorised as such in the criminal justice system process. This makes it difficult to conduct research with this group. ‣ Adults in this sample who had committed CSE offences had experienced dysfunctional lives. They evidenced individual internal characteristics, such as mental health problems, low self-esteem and antisocial attributes. ‣ Many excessively used adult pornography and/or images that depicted children. ‣ Negative external influences were also present in their relationships and environments. These included chaotic intimate relationships, poor relationships with family members and peers, and violence and abusive relationships at home and school. ‣ Individuals believed that their offending was associated with a culmination of all the dysfunctional and negative experiences in their lives, including both internal and external influences. ‣ Individuals justified and 'explained' their offending behaviours, which enabled them to continue to offend. ‣ Motivation for offending was described as sexual gratification in this exploratory sample. ‣ An ecological framework can be used to understand the complexity and interplay between the individual, relationships, social, cultural and environmental factors associated with CSE. ‣ There are gaps in research knowledge as to whether the factors identified as associated with CSE perpetration are variable risk markers or fixed risk markers and whether these are casual risk factors that could be targeted in interventions. ‣ Little is known about the role and relevance of protective factors which can potentially mitigate perpetration. Implications and recommendations This is a difficult group to research, as they are largely 'hidden' in criminal justice system processes. A complex range of factors are associated with the commission of CSE, which means that there is no simple way of preventing individuals from perpetrating this type of offending. However, the evidence is still limited and we do not have a clear picture of the range of factors that lead to CSE offending, particularly across the wide range of offences that meet the definition of CSE. More research is therefore needed: for example, with a larger, national sample of individuals who have sexually exploited children and a wider range of CSE offences than has been captured in this exploratory study Details: Ilford, Esssex, UK: Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, 2018. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Child sexual exploitation perpetrators research programme, report 3: Accessed February 22, 2018 at: https://www.csacentre.org.uk/csa-centre-prod/assets/File/CSE%20perpetrators%203%20-%20Characteristics%20and%20perspectives%20of%20adults%20who%20have%20sexually%20exploited%20children.pdf Year: 2018 Country: International URL: https://www.csacentre.org.uk/csa-centre-prod/assets/File/CSE%20perpetrators%203%20-%20Characteristics%20and%20perspectives%20of%20adults%20who%20have%20sexually%20exploited%20children.pdf Shelf Number: 149209 Keywords: Child Pornography Child Sexual Abuse Child Sexual Exploitation Computer Crimes Internet CrimesIntervention Programs Pornography Sex Offender Treatment Sex Offenders Social Media |
Author: Walker, Kate Title: Characteristics and motivations of perpetrators of child sexual exploitation: A rapid evidence assessment of research Summary: There is a lack of information about individuals who perpetrate child sexual exploitation (CSE) offences. This report describes one of three research projects to build an evidence base about this population. The project's aims were to: ‣ investigate the characteristics of those who commit CSE ‣ identify the nature and dynamics of their behaviours, their motivations and the way they target and exploit their victims. The report will be of interest to frontline practitioners, service providers, commissioners of services, policy makers, researchers and academics. Method A rapid review was conducted, finding 50 studies/reports where the offences met the definition of CSE and information could be extracted about perpetrators' characteristics, behaviours, motivations and methods of targeting/exploiting their victims. Key findings and gaps in research knowledge ‣ The majority of studies were conducted in the UK (19) and USA (18), with four conducted in Canada, three in New Zealand, two in France and one in each of Australia, Mexico, Germany and Sweden. It is important to note that some of these studies reviewed and/or combined the findings from a number of published studies, so each study's findings were not necessarily specific to its country of origin. ‣ The majority (37) of studies were of offenders who have committed exclusively online CSE offences, with only 10 examining non-online CSE offences and three covering both online and 'offline' offences; very limited knowledge was obtained regarding other types of CSE, such as CSE perpetrated within groups and gangs; offences such as human trafficking for, or resulting in, sexual exploitation; and the purchasing of sexual contact. This limits the extent to which the review's findings and observations can be generalised. ‣ Across the studies there were many methodological limitations such as inconsistencies in the definition of CSE, comparisons between groups of sexual offenders only (with a lack of other offender or non-offender control groups), lack of typical or normative data comparisons, and reliance on correlational data. These limit the potential to draw conclusions about causal influences. ‣ Perpetrators were generally identified as male, white and aged between 18 and 85 years (with the average age in individual studies ranging from 30 to 46 years); a high proportion were employed, with a large number of these in professional jobs. ‣ Mental health characteristics and psychological characteristics (personality traits) were examined only in relation to online CSE offences, and no research examined them in relation to other forms of CSE, e.g. CSE perpetrated in gangs or groups. ‣ In relation to online CSE, owing to methodological challenges and insufficient research it is impossible to isolate specific mental health or psychological characteristics that have a causal relationship with this type of offence. However, factors such as depression, anxiety, stress and suicidal ideation are most likely to be relevant. ‣ The evidence is weaker for psychological characteristics being associated with CSE; however, some attachment styles (e.g. not securely attached, fearful attachment) were associated with this group, and the formation of relationships appeared to be problematic. ‣ There was limited research that identified the motivations of CSE perpetrators; the studies that did so were generally those looking to develop typologies and categories of online offenders. The two key motivations found were sexual and financial. ‣ There was no research that specifically identified the way that perpetrators targeted/ exploited their victims, beyond explaining the context within which the exploitation occurred (i.e. online exploitation, gangs or trafficking/commercial dealings). It may be that such information could be located within the literature on victim-survivors, but including and analysing research on victim-survivors was beyond the scope of the current review. Implications and recommendations There is very little reliable information about the characteristics of individuals who perpetrate CSE offences, particularly those who do not commit offences in or using online environments. This significantly limits our ability to identify potential offenders and situations to target and design prevention strategies. More research is required to fully understand the characteristics and motivations of CSE perpetrators. That research will need to: ‣ have consistency and clarity regarding the definition of this type of offending and the different contexts within which it occurs ‣ use methodological research designs that allow differences and causal pathways to be reliably identified - for example, including appropriate non-offender control groups, longitudinal methods and large sample sizes (although this may be unrealistic, as studies are generally based on small, convicted samples by necessity) Details: Ilford, Esssex, UK: Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, 2018. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Child sexual exploitation perpetrators research programme, report 2: Accessed February 22, 2018 at: https://www.csacentre.org.uk/csa-centre-prod/assets/File/CSE%20perpetrators%202%20-%20Characteristics%20and%20motivations%20of%20perpetrators%20of%20CSE.pdf Year: 2018 Country: International URL: https://www.csacentre.org.uk/csa-centre-prod/assets/File/CSE%20perpetrators%202%20-%20Characteristics%20and%20motivations%20of%20perpetrators%20of%20CSE.pdf Shelf Number: 149210 Keywords: Child Pornography Child Sexual Abuse Child Sexual Exploitation Computer Crimes Internet Crimes Intervention Programs Pornography Sex Offender Treatment Sex Offenders Social Media |
Author: Wager, Nadia Title: Rapid Evidence Assessment Quantifying The Extent Of Online-Facilitated Child Sexual Abuse Summary: This rapid evidence assessment (REA) examines what is known about the scale of online-facilitated child sexual abuse (CSA). It was commissioned by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), which is investigating whether public bodies and other non-state institutions have taken seriously their duties to care for and protect children and young people from child sexual abuse and exploitation. This research informs IICSA's investigation into institutional responses to child sexual abuse and exploitation facilitated by the internet (referred to as the internet investigation). The specific objectives were: to identify and appraise the measures currently available in England and Wales, and internationally, that could contribute to quantifying the scale of online CSA to consider what each of these measures say about the scale of online CSA to identify and appraise the range of data sources that are available for quantifying the scale of online CSA to identify gaps in the existing literature. 3 A rapid evidence assessment is a structured way of searching for, assessing the appropriateness of, and synthesising a large body of evidence in a very short time frame. It is less rigorous than a full systematic review and therefore does not provide a fully comprehensive summary of the evidence base. This should be borne in mind when considering the findings. Additional challenges taken into account during the review of the 99 articles and reports covered were dealing with the breadth of definitions used, and the constant changes in technology. Details: Huddersfield, UK: University of Huddersfield, Secure Societies Institute, 2018. 184p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 28, 2018 at: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/document/rapid-evidence-assessment-quantifying-extent-online-facilitated-child-sexual-abuse Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/document/rapid-evidence-assessment-quantifying-extent-online-facilitated-child-sexual-abuse Shelf Number: 149281 Keywords: Child PornographyChild Protection Child Sexual Abuse Child Sexual Exploitation Internet Crimes Online Victimization Social Media |
Author: Davidson, Julia Title: Enhancing Police and Industry Practice: EU Child Online Safety Project Summary: This report draws together the findings from the European Child Online Safety Project which was funded by the European Commission ISEC fund. The project was led by Professor Julia Davidson Middlesex University, UK with partners from University of Tilburg, Netherlands; University of Kore, Enna, Italy; Cyberpsychology Research Centre, Royal College of Surgeons; and the Geary Institute, University College Dublin, Ireland; and FDE Institute of Criminology, Mantova, Italy. The project sought to draw together the evidence base on online offender and victim behaviour including: - online grooming; - possession, collection and distribution of indecent child images; - Identification of policing and industry best practice in prevention. The project also sought to promote cooperation between law enforcement and industry in developing and disseminating good practice models in the area of online CSA. Through collaboration, this will ultimately assist practitioners and professionals: - To develop effective prevention techniques; - In early detection and deterrence; - With the provision of valid and recent research. The project had three primary and interdependent objectives: 1. Link project specific risk characteristics with other risk factors for grooming, like risk-taking and sexual orientation concerns; 2. Creation of victim typologies of cyber-grooming to assist with identification of vulnerable individuals and groups; 3. Development of 'Best Practice' guidelines for industry and law enforcement in the identification and prevention of online childhood sexual abuse. Details: 168p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 8, 2018 at: https://www.mdx.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/250163/ISEC-report-FINAL.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Europe URL: https://www.mdx.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/250163/ISEC-report-FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 149405 Keywords: Child GroomingChild PornographyChild ProtectionChild Sexual AbuseOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Latonero, Mark Title: Technology and Labor Trafficking in a Network Society. General Overview, Emerging Innovations, and Philippines Case Study Summary: While interviewing survivors of labor trafficking for this report, researchers heard from a young woman in the Philippines who applied for domestic work in the Middle East. She recounted the way her friend, already working abroad, had called and sent texts of encouragement and eventually put her in touch with a recruiter. She was promised that her documents would be arranged with an employer before her flight to begin work. Upon her departure, the recruiter said that plans had changed. She was told her work papers and airline ticket would be issued in Malaysia. The woman was put on a boat and spent over a week crossing the Sulu Sea from one island to another. She was isolated. Her only means of communication was her mobile phone. Not wanting to worry her family (they had high hopes for her employment), she communicated only with her friend, asking for advice and reassurance. Even if she had been able to access the Internet, it is unclear whether she possessed the skills or knowledge to search for the appropriate online resources. Once in Malaysia, she was put into a van with others. While traveling to an unknown destination they were apprehended by police. Interrogated and imprisoned, the young woman managed to sneak her phone into jail and made one last call. Finally, the friend passed along word of her plight and the Philippine government intervened. After a month in prison she was repatriated and is currently in a rehabilitation shelter in Manila. This report finds that isolation from the technologies and social networks that connect individuals to support and services is an indicator and risk factor for labor trafficking. Stories of isolation are unfortunately common in cases of labor trafficking. What is striking in the case above is the central role played by technology. The woman's mobile device both connects and disconnects her from illegal recruiters, employers, family, friends, social services, and assistance. This speaks to the larger premise of this report - new information and communication technologies (ICT's) have become an integral part of the networks that underpin labor trafficking in the 21st Century. Yet little research exists on the impact of technology in exacerbating or addressing the isolation, fraud, force, and/or coercion so often at the heart of trafficking cases. There is a lack of evidence-based research on any relationship between technology and labor trafficking either within or across national borders. To effectively intervene in labor trafficking, the impact of technology needs to be addressed by policy makers, governments, NGOs, researchers, and the private sector. Throughout the world, the rapid diffusion of technologies, such as social media, mobile devices, and the Internet, is impacting social, economic, and political life at an unprecedented scale. We live in a "network society" where technology and the flow of information are crucial forces of global social change. The network perspective helps us examine labor trafficking in a new way - not only as an economic, regulatory, or legal problem but as an issue driven by the technologies connecting networks of actors. This research report is the first to investigate the relationship between technology and labor trafficking. This project began in early 2014 and was made possible by a grant from Humanity United. The research builds upon the Technology and Human Trafficking Initiative, launched in 2010 at the Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy at the University of Southern California. The evidence gathered and analyzed in this report is based on public documents, websites, interviews with key stakeholders in the US and internationally, and fieldwork in the Philippines. With little previous research on the topic, this study is inherently exploratory. Thus this report's primary goal is to frame technology's impact on labor trafficking and to establish a set of definitions, theories, terms, themes, recommendations, and principles that can guide future research and policy. Details: Los Angeles: University of Southern California, Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, 2015. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 9, 2018 at: https://communicationleadership.usc.edu/files/2015/10/USC_Tech-and-Labor-Trafficking_Feb2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Philippines URL: https://communicationleadership.usc.edu/files/2015/10/USC_Tech-and-Labor-Trafficking_Feb2015.pdf Shelf Number: 149415 Keywords: Domestic WorkersForced LaborHuman TraffickingLabor TraffickingMobile TechnologiesMobile TelephonesOnline CommunicationsSocial MediaTechnology and Crime |
Author: Smahel, David, ed. Title: The meaning of online problematic situations for children: Results of qualitative cross-cultural investigation in nine European countries Summary: Young people are currently surrounded by digital technologies, and through these technologies they experience a variety of positive, but also negative, situations (Livingstone, Haddon, Gorzig, & Olafsson, 2011). The unique pan-European survey of EU Kids Online II (2009-11) offered insights into how often and what types of harm children experienced in the following online risks: cyberbullying, exposure to sexual materials, sexting (sexual communication), meeting online strangers, personal data problems, seeing dangerous websites, and excessive internet use. EU Kids Online II also studied how children cope with some of these risks, and the effectiveness of parental mediation strategies to reduce these risks. Although there are several pieces of research studying specific online risks from qualitative perspectives (i.e., Parris, Varjas, Meyers, & Cutts, 2012; Sleglova & Cerna, 2011; Vandebosch & van Cleemput, 2008), most of the current research on online problematic experiences is quantitative, and aimed at understanding the prevalence, definitions and measurement, and the associated psycho-social consequences. But as we know, perceptions of risk differ for children and researchers (Cohn, Macfarlane, Yanez, & Imai, 1995). What researchers describe as "risky" is sometimes perceived as normal and not negative among young people. Therefore, this report introduces research from the EU Kids Online III (2011-14) studies on risks and online problematic situations from children's perspectives. We ask what children perceive as problematic on the internet, and the meaning of online problematic situations according to children. To fulfil this goal, we proposed qualitative investigations, where we took a children-centred approach and asked what children perceived as problematic on the internet. Using this approach, children spontaneously reported many different online situations, from the harmful and unpleasant to the neutral, as well as positive experiences. For example, meeting an online stranger in offline settings was typically a risk from the researcher's perspective, but from the children's perspectives, it was mostly seen as an online opportunity. Children's experiences with meeting strangers varied from very pleasant to harmful feelings. We therefore decided to avoid the term "risks," where children experienced a broad scale of different situations, and instead used the term "online problematic situations" to describe any unpleasant, bothering, or harmful situations on the internet. We proposed the following definition of problematic online situations: "encompassing a broad range of possible online behaviours and experiences that, together or individually, result in a disruption of relationships, values, daily obligations, and or mental or physical well-being" (Mitchell, Sabina, Finkelhor, & Wells, 2009, p. 707). Such a definition of online problematic situations is broader than the previously used term of "online risk," which is defined as the probability of harm (Livingstone et al., 2011). In this report, both terms are used in different contexts. Research presented in this report is based on focus groups and interviews with 368 children from the following nine countries: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom (UK). Teams from the EU Kids Online network voluntarily joined this comparative research. Therefore, the selection of countries is not the selection of coordinators, but instead a group of voluntary, cooperating research teams with one coordinator (David Smahel). As explained in Chapter 3: Methodology, we involved children from many different social and cultural backgrounds, and recorded a large variability of different perspectives and meanings of online situations. Nevertheless, this report intentionally does not include a special section on cultural comparisons across countries, because producing a systematic analysis of cultural factors remains difficult in qualitative research with relatively small samples. Despite this consideration, across this report possible observations about country differences have been made, including ones that draw on a background knowledge of specific countries. The emphasis of this report was on pooling the data from the countries in order to describe the range of online problematic situations, and coping and awareness of them, along with various mediational strategies. We believe that this pooled sample has generated enough material to provide a relatively comprehensive picture of the meaning and experience of online problematic situations for children in Europe. Research questions To understand children's meanings of online problematic situations and risks, we proposed the following research questions, which we answer in the chapters that follow in this report: - What do children perceive as being potentially negative or problematic when using the internet? - What online problematic situations and risks are children aware of? - What are the consequences of online negative experiences? - How do/would they react to it (including emotional reaction, behavioural reaction, opinion change etc.)? - What do/would children do to avoid or prevent these online problematic experiences? - What is the context for children's perceptions of certain situations as negative? - In which circumstances are certain situations perceived as negative? In which circumstances are other situations perceived as neutral or even positive? - What coping strategies work best from children's perspectives? - How do children evaluate situations that adults consider problematic? - How are children's negative experiences mediated? Details: London: EU Kids Online, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2014. 171p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 23, 2018 at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/56972/1/EU_Kids_Online_Report_Online_Problematic_Situations_for_Children_June2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Europe URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/56972/1/EU_Kids_Online_Report_Online_Problematic_Situations_for_Children_June2014.pdf Shelf Number: 149543 Keywords: Child PornographyChild Sexual AbuseOnline VictimizationProsecutionSex OffendersSextingSocial Media |
Author: Haddon, Leslie Title: The meaning of online problematic situations for children: The UK report Summary: The present report looks specifically at the experiences of the UK children who took part in that wider European project. Interviews and focus groups were used to collect children's data. The interview schedule for the research was tested in all participating countries. In the UK pilot interviews were conducted in January 2013 with primary and secondary school boys (aged 9-10 and 11-13 respectively). The European pilots indicated that the interview schedule was generally sound although some alterations were made to it in the light of the pilot feedback. In the UK the main interviews took place between March and September 2013 in four schools - two primary and two secondary. This consisted of interviews with two boys and two girls from each age group (9‐10, 11‐13, 14‐16), and one boys' and one girls' focus group from each of the three age bands, each group consisting of five people. There was one extra interview with a boy aged 9‐10. This made a total of 13 interviews and six focus groups - 43 children aged 9-16 years old altogether. The interviews, conducted by the authors, were fully transcribed and analysed for the present report. Since the UK research was part of a wider European project it followed the same procedures as in the other participating countries. Each point discussed in the interview was summarised in a comment box, and all the comments from the interview were imported into an Excel file. Here they received a secondary level of coding so that for each point made by a child it was clear whether and what ICTs were involved, whether and what risks were involved, who was being discussed, whether the theme was about activities, communication, mediation of some kind, etc. The coding meant that it was possible to search the Excel sheets by various criteria, whether looking into specific risks, preventative measures, coping strategies or parental mediation Parallel to this, main points for translation that related to previous project‐wide discussions of the whole area were marked and collated. In the other countries these observations by children were translated into English to make them accessible to all the other researchers when collectively writing the pan‐European report. In the UK, they were simply collated in the original English. When conducting the analysis, these points for translation often became the basis for the main quotations in this report, either because they summarised certain issues (more succinctly than some of the other children), captured ambivalences or demonstrated a theme well. The points for translation were used in conjunction with searches of the Excel sheet. The latter aimed to capture overall tendencies within the sample, the range of experiences and diverse examples of the same theme. When children are cited but not directly quoted, the material often comes from this second strand of analysis involving an overview of the interview material on any particular topic. The whole procedure had the effect that some children are quoted more, often reflecting the fact that they are either more articulate, more reflective or have more of certain kinds of experience. However, the overall content and conclusions of this report fully reflect the range and diversity of opinions and experiences expressed by all children interviewed in the project. Details: London: EU Kids Online, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2014. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 23, 2018 at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/60514/1/__lse.ac.uk_storage_LIBRARY_Secondary_libfile_shared_repository_Content_EU%20Kids%20Online_EU%20Kids%20Online_Meaning%20of%20online%20problematic%20situations-UK%20report_2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/60514/1/__lse.ac.uk_storage_LIBRARY_Secondary_libfile_shared_repository_Content_EU%20Kids%20Online_EU%20Kids%20Online_Meaning%20of%20online%20problematic%20situations-UK%20report_2014.pdf Shelf Number: 149545 Keywords: Child Pornography Child Sexual Abuse Online Victimization Prosecution Sex Offenders SextingSocial Media |
Author: Livingstone, Sonia Title: Net Children Go Mobile: The UK report Summary: This report presents new UK findings regarding children's online access, opportunities, risks and parental mediation. The primary focus is on risk and safety considerations. The new UK findings are compared in this report with: - Findings from the seven‐country European 2013‐14 survey by Net Children Go Mobile. - UK findings from the 25‐country European 2010 survey by EU Kids Online. - Illustrative quotations from children are drawn from qualitative interviews conducted by Net Children Go Mobile (which will report later in 2014). Access and use Mobile and personalised media are expanding the spatial and temporal locations of internet use among children by providing 'anywhere, anytime' accessibility: - Home is still the main location of internet use by far, despite it now being available in many locations out and about. Forty per cent of children use the internet at home several times per day, most of them in their bedroom. Over half also go online in other places, and half use it when out and about. - Compared with 2010, half as many now use a desktop PC, so that access is more often on a personalised device (smartphone, laptop, games console, tablet as well as desktop). - In the UK, smartphones are already more popular than laptops (used daily by 56% and 47% of 9-to-16‐year‐olds daily). In Portugal and Italy, laptops are used more often than smartphones, while in Denmark both are used daily by nearly three in four children. - The age of first use overall - at around eight years old - is little changed since 2010, although by 2013, children, especially 9-to-10- year‐olds, have access to much more complex smartphone convergent technologies than their 2010 predecessors. Online activities Research has shown that children's online activities vary by age - with children progressing up 'the ladder of opportunities' over time, from basic uses to creative and participatory uses of the internet: - The most popular online activities are watching video clips, social networking and listening to music. Some of the activities that policy makers and parents worry about are, in fact, rather rare - purchasing apps, spending time in a virtual world, registering one's geographic location, visiting chatrooms. - More children do more of most online activities now compared with a few years ago. Moreover, smartphone users make considerably more use of the internet in almost every way. However, many informational, civic and creative uses are regularly undertaken only by a minority of children. - By comparison with other European countries, UK children are the most satisfied with the online offer. But 9-to-10-year‐olds have become less satisfied over time with the content available to them. Smartphones expand the range of mobile communicative practices and audiences children are now able to engage with. Which children, then, use social networking and media‐sharing platforms, and how do they use them? - Facebook is the main platform used by the youngest age band, with 18% of 9-to-10‐year olds and 25% of 11-to-12‐year‐olds having a profile. Children continue to adopt some of the latest social networking sites (SNSs), and the UK is distinctive in the popularity of Twitter - 14% of all 9-to-16‐year‐olds use it. - However, since 2010, SNS use has dropped for girls (from 65% to 50%) but hardly for boys. It has also dropped substantially for younger children: safety campaigns have possibly had some effect. - Substantial numbers of children have relatively few online contacts, and the number of online contacts has dropped a little since 2010, when 16% reported more than 300 contacts (compared with 10% in 2013). - However, the UK's 14% who accept all 'friend' requests exceeds the European average of 9%, and is lower only than that of Romanian children (18%). - Half of SNS users keep their profiles private. Boys, teens, and children from low socio‐ economic status (SES) homes are more likely to have public profiles. - One‐quarter have provided a false age on their profile - more often younger children than teens. Skills Contrary to the myth of the digital native, children and young people do not naturally or automatically acquire digital literacy. The research examined children's self‐reported competence (or self‐confidence), along with self‐ reported ability with a specific list of skills, including those needed for mobile/online devices: - Two in three children say they know more than their parents about the internet, and 86% claim to know more than their parents about smartphones. However, 9-to-10-year‐olds generally think their parents know more about using the internet than they do. - Children's digital literacy and safety skills have not changed much since 2010, although children are now less able to block junk/spam and more able to manage their privacy settings and delete their history. - In Denmark the average number of skills related to the internet is higher than the UK, possibly because UK parents practise more restrictive mediation, limiting children's chance to explore and learn online. - Smartphone users are generally skilled in the use of their personal devices, but around one‐ third cannot block pay‐for pop‐ups or compare and choose the best or most reliable app or deactivate the function showing their geographical position. Younger girls seem particularly to lack the skill to use their personal devices effectively. Details: London: London School of Economics and Political Science, 2014. 70p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 23, 2018 at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/59098/1/__lse.ac.uk_storage_LIBRARY_Secondary_libfile_shared_repository_Content_Livingstone%2C%20S_EU%20Kids%20Online_Livingstone_Net_%20children_%20go_2014_Livingstone_Net_%20children_%20go_2014_author.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/59098/1/__lse.ac.uk_storage_LIBRARY_Secondary_libfile_shared_repository_Content_Livingstone%2C%20S_EU%20Kids%20Online_Livingstone_Net_%20children_%20go_2014_Livingstone_Net_%20children_%20go_2014_auth Shelf Number: 149553 Keywords: Internet CrimeOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Eguienta, Ophelie Title: Twenty-First Century Police Brutality against African Americans: The Case of Ferguson, Missouri, and the "Black Lives Matter" Movement Summary: African American history is riddled with violence, as early as Africans' very arrival on the continent as slaves. Their fight for freedom became a fight for equality after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, as the southern states passed segregation laws and racial discrimination, although not institutionalized, remained pervasive in the North. Resulted a century of social, economic, and political inequalities for black people in the entire country, punctuated by lynching, and white supremacist attacks carried in impunity. As the Civil Rights Movement rose in the 1950s, marches and demonstrations for racial equality were met by a virulent opposition, leading to the murders of many civil rights activists and the assassinations of leaders Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Yet, the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act were passed and effectively made segregation and any other form of racial discrimination illegal. Since then, a variety of policies has been implemented to decrease the opportunity gap between black and white Americans, and, with the election of Barack Obama in 2008, a substantial part of the population has come to believe that racism mostly is an issue of the past, and that equality for African Americans has finally been reached. However for some scholars, this colorblindness has led to another form of blindness about racism, which only has deepened racial inequalities as policies instituted to decrease them have been reduced or abandoned. Yet as the death of an unarmed black young man by a police officer spurred massive protests in the small Missouri city of Ferguson in 2014, the debate on racism in America started again through the notion of a systemic racist police brutality. Police brutality is a societal issue that has been the subject of many studies, by academics but also former officers, who have tried to understand its origins, its extent, its perpetuation, its repercussions on society, and how society reacts to it. Research on racially biased police brutality has also been prolific, especially during the second-half of the twentieth century, as some instances sparked demonstrations and even riots. However, secondary sources are still scarce on the events that followed Michael Brown's death - and thus on the Black Lives Matter movement - since they only happened a few years ago, and at the time, nothing indicated that the protest movement would be lasting and would reach such a scale. I chose to research this issue because even though I have never considered myself to be ignorant of racism and police brutality anywhere in the world, I was deeply shocked by the events that occurred in Ferguson, Mo, in 2014. I remember reading different online newspapers regularly, Le Monde and Le Nouvel Obs for the French ones, the BBC and The Guardian for the British ones, and The New York Times and The Washington Post for the American ones. Indeed, I heard about what had happened through social media at first, and was hoping to have had a distorted version of the facts, as it often happens; and then I was anxious to get different perspectives (namely from other countries), in order not to have too biased sources and try and balance the flow of information available. I closely followed the events for months, and watched the Black Lives Matter movement rise, with astonishment, wonder and fascination. I witnessed demonstrations and protests being organized, support coming from the entire country and the entire world, but also saw the opposition to this tsunami of indignation increase, with various movements such as All Lives Matter, White Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter. Thus, in order to fully understand the importance and the scale of racist police brutality and the protests that ensued, I decided to make them my research project this year. This thesis explores the factors that led Michael Brown's death to spark a string of nation-wide protests: the context of tensions between police officers and black people, the disproportionate rate at which black people are killed by officers, and the lack of repercussions when these deaths are questionable. It also focuses on the stakes and the impact of the Ferguson protests on society, studying the Black Lives Matter movement - its origins, the novelty in its goal and actions, etc. - as well as the other movements that emerged first on social media to oppose it. This research will help analyze how divided the American population is and how such divisions can be accounted for. In order to assess the relationship between African Americans and the police, it was essential to rely on the multiplicity of secondary sources on African American history, and on police brutality in the United States; the vast number of studies available allowed for a balanced overview. However secondary sources are lacking on the events at the core of the research, namely the anti-police brutality protests that started in 2014. Indeed, because these events are recent, it is complex for scholars to analyze the scope of the BLM movement and the shift in media representation of such events, while they are still occurring. On the other hand, primary sources are abundant: every black and mainstream news outlet covered the protests at length, as did individual people via social media - sharing accounts, pictures and videos of the events as well as their reactions to them, and various organizations issued reports on the situation (and a number of organizations were even created as a result). These sources were confronted and taken with a necessary step back to determine any possible bias. Following the increased news coverage of police killings of black people, many opinion polls have been conducted, which helps establish how divided the American population is on the question of police behavior, but also on the role of the government in this matter. To conduct this research, I relied on secondary sources when establishing the historical context of today's African Americans' place in society, and a mix of primary and secondary sources when studying the racial inequalities that persist, the debate over a postracial society, and the relationship between police officers and black people - i.e. the lack of black people in the police force and its consequences, racial bias, distrust, etc. On the other hand, primary sources were almost exclusively used when dealing with what happened at Ferguson in 2014, and with the BLM movement. Indeed, news articles from various outlets and a few social networks allowed to analyze the social and political repercussions of the protests. The relation between mainstream news and the opinion of most of the population - as they influence each other - was analyzed, especially since the influence that the protests had on the news is relatively unusual. Moreover, a detailed research of the significance of social media in the BLM movement was conducted: given the importance social media have in everyday life nowadays, it seemed relevant to analyze the presence of BLM on Twitter - which is at the origin of the movement - and Facebook - the most used social medium among Americans. Some of the few available secondary sources on the topic have been of great help for this part. The research on Twitter --a social media platform that played an important role in the protests - provided significant pieces of information on this social medium which requires payment to give access to some of its user data. As there were no statistics or data available on the matter, and since Facebook's search engine did not allow for a filtered search, I created a database categorizing the thousands of Facebook groups and pages which concerned Black/All/White/Blue Lives Matter, according to a few criteria (number of people, frequency of posts, etc.). This database enabled a comparative study of these movements on Facebook, and allowed me to articulate theories about their importance. However, this research has limitations, as some more detailed indications could have helped paint a more precise picture: very little information is obtainable about closed groups and there are hidden groups only visible to members; some pieces of information are extremely difficult to retrieve (especially for a single person with a limited amount of time), such as the date of creation of the group/page, the number of active members out of the total amount, and the periods when people joined a group or liked a page. Thus, in order to address the issue of police brutality against African Americans in the twenty-first century, this work will start with a brief presentation of the place occupied by the black community in society through a selection of key events in history and their impact on today's society; the second part will be an overview of police brutality, zooming in on brutality against black people; third, the circumstances of Michael Brown' death and the aftermath will be under scrutiny, from the protests, their representation in the news, and their consequences, to the change of this representation in the media; finally, the BLM ALM WLM and BlueLM movements will be analyzed, alongside the role that social media played in these movements. Details: Toulouse: University of Toulouse II Jean Jaures, 2017. 165p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed March 27, 2018 at: http://dante.univ-tlse2.fr/4122/1/Eguienta_Oph%C3%A9lieM22017.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://dante.univ-tlse2.fr/4122/1/Eguienta_Oph%C3%A9lieM22017.pdf Shelf Number: 149587 Keywords: African AmericansBlack Lives MatterDeadly ForcePolice BrutalityPolice MisconductPolice Use of ForcePolice-Minority RelationsRacial DiscriminationSocial Media |
Author: Muller, Karsten Title: Fanning the Flames of Hate: Social Media and Hate Crime Summary: This paper investigates the link between social media and hate crime using hand-collected data from Facebook. We study the case of Germany, where the recently emerged right-wing party Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) has developed a major social media presence. Using a Bartik-type empirical strategy, we show that right-wing anti-refugee sentiment on Facebook predicts violent crimes against refugees in otherwise similar municipalities with higher social media usage. To establish causality, we further exploit exogenous variation in major internet and Facebook outages, which fully undo the correlation between social media and hate crime. We further find that the effect decreases with distracting news events; increases with user network interactions; and does not hold for posts unrelated to refugees. Our results suggest that social media can act as a propagation mechanism between online hate speech and real-life incidents. Details: Coventry, UK: University of Warwick, 2018. 82p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 4, 2018 at: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/crschwarz/fanning-flames-hate.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Germany URL: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/crschwarz/fanning-flames-hate.pdf Shelf Number: 149690 Keywords: Bias Motivated CrimesHate CrimesMinority GroupsSocial Media |
Author: Malik, Nikita Title: Terror in the Dark: How Terrorists Use Encryption Summary: Terrorists and extremists are increasingly moving their activities online - and areas of the web have become a safe haven for Islamic State to plot its next attacks, according to a report published today by the Henry Jackson Society. Terror in The Dark: How Terrorists use Encryption, the Darknet and Cryptocurrencies shows how those planning to commit terrorist atrocities are using extremist networks on the 'Darknet' to indoctrinate sympathisers, create a reservoir of propaganda, evade detection and fundraise. It calls for urgent action by government and the policing and security services to step up intelligence gathering and action to counter online extremist activity. The report shows how terrorists are: Using encrypted apps such as Telegram to hide, communicate and plan attacks. Drawing interested sympathisers from the 'surface' world of the web into the Darknet in order to recruit and indoctrinate new supporters. Building up reservoirs of propaganda - saving it from deletion by the security services or tech companies and removing it as potential evidence for use by law enforcement. Using cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin to fundraise, taking advantage of the anonymity they offer. Following the five terror attacks on British soil in 2017, the Government has dedicated more time and funds to the combating of online extremism. However, the report makes a strong case for more attention to be paid to the Darknet, as terrorists mask their actions and intentions unchallenged on a currently anarchic platform. The report recommends: That tech companies should create a self-regulatory system to remove and audit extremist content - and release public annual reports outlining their efforts, including stats on content flagged by users, the outcome of companies' investigations and areas for improvement. That there should be a new internet regulatory body appointed by government, with the role of scrutinising tech companies' efforts to remove extremist content - with the potential for fines if companies consistently fail to take down offending material. More resources for the Joint Terrorism Action Centre to build up intelligence on the Darknet. Social media companies should work with law enforcement to ensure that extremist material is not lost when it is deleted, but is archived - to ensure that we understand extremists' patterns of behaviour online and retain evidence. Details: London: Henry Jackson Society, 2018. 61p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 11, 2018 at: http://henryjacksonsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Terror-in-the-Dark.pdf Year: 2018 Country: International URL: http://henryjacksonsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Terror-in-the-Dark.pdf Shelf Number: 149759 Keywords: Counter-ExtremismCounter-TerrorismDark NetDe-RadicalizationIslamic State JihadMedia Radical Groups Radicalization Social Media Terrorism Terrorists |
Author: Lancia, Amanda Title: Policing and the Dirty Underbelly: Understanding Narratives of Police Deviance on Social Media Platforms Summary: Policing organizations have been quick to adopt the use of social media as a community policing and investigative tool. However, the user-generated content on social media platforms can pose a risk to police legitimacy, police accountability, and their role as the 'authorized knowers'. This thesis explores how social media problematizes the social problems game and how social media challenges the police as the 'authorized knowers'. Through the analysis of two case studies - #myNYPD campaign and the Walter Scott shooting - it was found that social media users can use social media platforms to construct claims against and challenge police in the social problems game through the circulation of user-generated content. It was discovered that images and videos play a significant role in the social problems game, and the challenging of the police. The authority that the police have with traditional media differs from the relationship they have with social media. This is because social media becomes much more difficult to control, especially with the interpretive flexibility of images and video. It was found that police still engage in counter-claims making activities through traditional media outlets to counteract claims made online, but that social media also provides a new platform for counter-claims making activities. Details: Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University, 2016. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 18, 2018 at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2987&context=etd Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2987&context=etd Shelf Number: 149848 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice InvestigationsPolice LegitimacyPolice MisconductSocial Media |
Author: Bryan, Tacicia Title: Black Lives Matter Toronto: A Qualitative Study of Twitter's Localized Social Discourse on Systemic Racism Summary: This Major Research Paper examines the Twitter discourse of Black Lives Matter Toronto (BLMTO), a chapter of the Black Lives Matter Movement which addresses issues of racism and police brutality. BLMTO protested in front of police headquarters between April 1st and April 15th, 2016 and used Twitter to document their protest during this time. This paper provides a content and sentiment analysis of 346 tweets collected during this time frame. The analysis of the Twitter content is based on concepts drawn from the scholarly literature on the public sphere, identity and social identity, and framing theory. My findings indicate the following: 1. Black Lives Matter Toronto uses media framing techniques, as well as logical and moral appeals, to build credibility as a strong subaltern counterpublic, an information resource for community building and an influencer online, through sharing relevant statistics, news stories and persuasive rhetoric. 2. BLMTO incorporates calls to action to create publicity and facilitate community mobilization. 3. Key themes in the tweets include the exercise of power in society, the need to build community and create a common sense of right and wrong, and maintaining solidarity Details: Toronto: Ryerson University, 2016. 69p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 26, 2018 at: http://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA%3A5401 Year: 2016 Country: Canada URL: http://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA%3A5401 Shelf Number: 149916 Keywords: Police BrutalityPolice Use of ForceRacial BiasRacial DisparitiesSocial MediaTwitter |
Author: WePROTECT Global Alliance Title: Global Threat Assessment 2018: Working together to end sexual exploitation of children online Summary: The Global Threat Assessment is the first of its type, both in terms of the broad stakeholder community that it draws from but also in its global vision to strengthen and further develop the international response to this growing and persistent threat. The report has been commissioned with the following aims: - raising international awareness of online child sexual exploitation (OCSE); - greater understanding of the threat and how it is evolving; - greater understanding of both the impact to victims and the wider societal impact of OCSE; - creating a baseline which can be used to monitor both the level of the threat and the positive impact that interventions are having on the offender population; - to provide evidence based examples to support members in making domestic and international decisions or investments. The WePROTECT Global Alliance to End Child Sexual Exploitation Online combines two major initiatives: the Global Alliance against Child Sexual Abuse Online, led by the US Department of Justice and the EU Commission, and WePROTECT, convened by the UK. This new, merged initiative has unprecedented reach, with 82 government members of the WePROTECT Global Alliance, along with major international organisations, 20 of the biggest names in the global technology industry, and 24 leading international and non-governmental organisations. Details: s.l.: The Alliance, 2018. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 28, 2018 at: http://www.africanchildinfo.net/index.php?option=com_sobi2&sobi2Task=sobi2Details&sobi2Id=1718&Itemid=142&lang=en Year: 2018 Country: International URL: http://www.africanchildinfo.net/index.php?option=com_sobi2&sobi2Task=sobi2Details&sobi2Id=1718&Itemid=142&lang=en Shelf Number: 149945 Keywords: Child PornographyChild Sexual AbuseChild Sexual ExploitationOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Lee, Murray Title: Sexting and Young People Summary: Aim This project aimed to investigate the phenomenon of sexting by young people. This under-researched but emergent contemporary legal and social issue was examined through an inter-disciplinary and multi-method framework by asking the question: are the current legal and policy responses to sexting reflective of young peoples' perceptions and practices of sexting? As such, the research had three specific aims: 1. to document young people's perceptions and practices of sexting; 2. to analyse public and media discourse around sexting, and; 3. to examine existing legal frameworks and sanctions around sexting and develop recommendations for an appropriate and effective legislative policy response to the practice by young people. Method The project consisted of a three-stage research plan: 1. quantitative surveys and focus groups with young people regarding their views and experiences of sexting; 2. a media discourse analysis to capture the tenure of public discussion around sexting in Australia, and; 3. an analysis of existing laws and sanctions that apply to sexting in all states and territories in Australia. Results Our results indicate that a significant number of young people have engaged in the sending and receiving of sexually suggestive pictures (sexting). Indeed, 47% of young people surveyed reported engaging in such behaviour. However, both the types of activity and the frequency of the engagement varied dramatically amongst respondents. Furthermore, the vast majority of those who reported sending or receiving sexually suggestive images did so with only a small number of people and most commonly only with those they already had a romantic attachment. Focus group respondents indicated that they did not use the term sexting and saw it as an adult or media construct. Their knowledge about sexting relied heavily on media reports and high school curriculum. A range of motivations for sexting practices (both their own and their peers) were also identified, ranging from experimentation to peer pressure. Respondents tended to perceive that young people - particularly young women - feel pressure to exchange sexual images. On the other hand participants in sexting exchanges were much more likely to judge their behaviour positively, stressing the fun and flirtatious nature of sexting. Focus groups participants' also suggested the importance of an intersectional analysis (age, class and gender) in understanding and engaging with sexting practices, as well as the need to rethink criminal justice responses to sexting. The discourses that young people reported around sexting mirrored the findings of the media analysis, which showed that young peoples' sexting behaviours were an issue of growing concern in the Australian media. Sexting was framed in the media as a risky activity, with potentially far-reaching consequences for young people and their romantic and career prospects, not to mention the potential legal ramifications. Such media reporting has thus promoted a particular image of sexting as an activity that should be avoided by young people, and dealt with seriously by parents, educators, governments and the law. An analysis of the legal framework around sexting suggests that sexting has generally been framed as child pornography and that such offenses significantly outweigh young people's perceptions of the seriousness of most behaviours that might be defined as sexting. In Australian jurisdictions child pornography has a relatively broad definition, extended in recent decades in response to concerns that new technologies are fueling child pornography. In most jurisdictions there is little to legally hinder prosecution (aside from the general requirement of establishing sufficient understanding of wrongfulness on the part of 10 to 14 year olds (presumption of doli incapax), defenses to child pornography offenses for minors in certain situations in Tasmania and Victoria and the Attorney-General's permission being needed before prosecution of an under 18 year old can be commenced under the Commonwealth Criminal Code). It is therefore legally possible for young people to be prosecuted for child pornography offenses. Despite this it seems that prosecutions for child pornography offenses for sexting are rare in Australia and that discretion is widely used to divert young people from formal proceedings unless there are aggravating factors. Conclusion This project has found that the sending and receiving of sexually suggestive pictures by young people can have serious consequences. As well as the potential legal consequences for young people who take and/or circulate such images, there are a number of personal costs that young people engaging in this behaviour may face. These include the embarrassment or humiliation resulting from the dissemination of images, coercion through the threat of making an image public, the continuation of physical or psychologically abusive behaviours into the digital realm (cyberbullying), and the potential for such images to fall into the hands of pedophiles. More generally sexting can contribute to the reproduction of gendered power relations and double standards. Such negative consequences are reinforced by much of the media discourse on sexting. Nevertheless, the findings from this project suggest that such outcomes, as reported by young people themselves, are relatively rare. Indeed, the majority of young people, although certainly not all, who engage in sexting do so with a romantic partner in a climate of perceived mutual trust. Even though this trust might be thought of as fragile, the research shows it is not regularly broken. It should be noted that when such trust is broken and a third party is shown the image, it is more likely to occur in-person rather than through digital onsending - although of course this also happens. Details: Canberra: Criminology Research Advisory Council, 2015. 86p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 30, 2018 at: http://crg.aic.gov.au/reports/1516/53-1112-FinalReport.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Australia URL: http://crg.aic.gov.au/reports/1516/53-1112-FinalReport.pdf Shelf Number: 149968 Keywords: Child Pornography Child Sexual Abuse Child Sexual Exploitation Online CommunicationsSextingSocial Media |
Author: Big Brother Watch Title: Careless Whispers: How speech is policed by outdated communications legislation Summary: The social media revolution has changed the way people communicate with each other. Yet, whilst our communications have evolved the way crimes are dealt with has not and so we find ourselves using archaic legislation to police modern day crimes. Without exception, the laws that regulate what is said on social media platforms were passed before companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Ask FM became widely used. The laws used to police our communications are woefully out of date. As this report shows, there has been an increase in charges and convictions and cases involving the use of social media. It is therefore important that the legislation which is used by police and prosecutors is examined to ensure it doesn't become obsolete in light of new technology. The outdated nature of the legislation is evident when you examine its history. Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 can be seen as the successor to a litany of legislation started by the Post Office (Amendment) Act 1930. The Act focused on stopping abuse towards telephone operators. It was followed by the Telecommunications Act 1984, which contains very similar wording to Section 127. This legislation enables a court to convict you based on whether it deems a message to be "grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character". It is arguable that the outdated nature of the law is why we are seeing an increase in legal cases involving comments made on social media. The most notorious example is the case of Chambers v DPP, also known as the "Twitter joke trial". This case saw Paul Chambers convicted of using a "public electronic communication network" to send a "message of menacing character". Specifically he stated: "Crap! Robin Hood airport is closed. You've got a week and a bit to get your shit together otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!!" The conviction was later overturned by the High Court, stating that "there was no evidence to suggest that any of the followers of the appellant's "tweet"... found it to be of a menacing character or, at a time when the threat of terrorism is real, even minimally alarming." Paul Chambers and his legal team attracted high profile support from public figures like Al Murray and Stephen Fry who Tweeted their support. Murray Tweeted: "In 100 years there will be an operetta about this - about how ridiculous we were at the start of the 21st century. I'm a big fan of absurdity but this is taking the biscuit." Arguably it was these high profile legal cases, and the fact that none of the legislation deals with social media cases directly, which led to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) publishing guidelines in June 2013 on how to prosecute cases which involve social media.3 However, these guidelines have been subject to criticism. In a submission to the CPS's public consultation on the guidelines Big Brother Watch highlighted a number of concerns, including the failure of the guidelines to address the problems that the relevant legislation already faced; that it had effectively been rendered obsolete by the advent of social media. Little has changed since these guidelines were produced. It is therefore the view of Big Brother Watch that there needs to be serious reform in this area, to ensure that the laws are brought up to date. Alongside this, it is now vital that the police begin to adopt a standardised approach to recording and combating social media crime. It is imperative that a clear evidence base is established so that the use of these powers can be properly scrutinized. If these policy recommendations are not achieved, then it is almost inevitable that there will be further individuals who are arrested, charged and prosecuted unnecessarily under these laws. Details: London: Big Brother Watch, 2015. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed Mary 3, 2018 at: https://www.bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Careless-Whisper.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Careless-Whisper.pdf Shelf Number: 150030 Keywords: CommunicationsEvidenceSocial Media |
Author: Children's Society Title: Safety Net: Cyberbullying's impact on young people's mental health: Inquiry report Summary: Key findings Under-age use of social media is commonplace - Despite most major social media companies - including Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube and Instagram - specifying that users must be 13 years old to have an account, we found that 61% of young people had a first account at age 12 or under. Children and young people are using social media for longer periods and using multiple profiles - Our survey indicated that nearly half (44%) of children and young people spend more than three hours per day on social media, whilst almost 1 in 10 (9%) reported always using social media overnight between midnight and 6am. There is a connection between intensive social media use and mental ill health - Thirty eight percent of young people reported that social media has a negative impact on how they feel about themselves, compared to 23% who reported that it has a positive impact. This was exacerbated for girls, with 46% of girls stating that social media had a negative impact on their self-esteem. Cyberbullying - a new form of bullying - Although our inquiry found that offline bullying remains the most common form of bullying, it is clear that cyberbullying is distinct and potent, particularly due to its potential to be relentless. Children and young people are particularly vulnerable to the effects of cyberbullying - Children and young people who are currently experiencing a mental health problem are more than three times more likely to have been bullied online in the last year. The steps being taken by social media companies in response to cyberbullying are inconsistent and inadequate - Throughout the course of the inquiry, we heard a number of examples from social media companies about positive initiatives they have established to respond to abusive content online, such as cyberbullying, as well as promoting the mental health of their users. Young people concluded that social media companies' current responses to cyberbullying are inadequate - There is an appetite among young people for greater interventions to disrupt cyberbullying, with 83% of young people saying that social media companies should do more to tackle cyberbullying on their platforms. There is a perceived lack of consequences for those who engage in bullying behaviour - Young people told the inquiry that they feel as though the onus is on the person who is experiencing cyberbullying to act. They spoke of a perceived lack of consequences for those who engage in bullying behaviour online, in a way there is not in the offline world. Social media companies need to do more to promote positive mental health and well-being - Young people overwhelmingly told the inquiry that they wanted social media companies to do more to promote positive mental health and interactions on their platforms. - Eighty two percent of young people thought social media companies should do more to promote mental health. Details: London: Children's Society, 2018. 72p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 7, 2018 at: https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/social-media-cyberbullying-inquiry-full-report_0.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/social-media-cyberbullying-inquiry-full-report_0.pdf Shelf Number: 150089 Keywords: Child ProtectionComputer CrimesCyberbullyingCybercrimeCybersecurityInternet CrimesOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Birkeland, Jane Title: Extremist Use of Social Media: Balancing Privacy and National Cybersecurity Summary: Social media is used by extremists, terrorists, activists, and ordinary people. The complexity of tackling extremist use of social media lies in balancing the privacy of civilians and US national security interests. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive policy across industry and government to effectively manage extremist usage-providing a unique dilemma in dealing with extremist use patterns for online recruiting and communication efforts, while maintaining privacy and security for ordinary citizens. We have sought to propose solutions to this dilemma through research of the following aspects of social media usage: - Recruitment and communication efforts between extremists and citizens - Private industry's efforts to balance between online security and privacy - Existing constitutional rights, government policies, and organizations relevant to addressing extremist use of social media - Civil society's role in keeping the government accountable for citizen rights in relation to cybersecurity-related policies Through our research, we found an overall lack of coordination and communication between industry and government, which creates grey areas in current policy and law. The following recommendations have been made to effectively address extremist use of social media: - Civil Society Interaction o Sponsor ad-campaigns that seek to raise awareness of extremist contact via social media and how to approach and report such situations o Begin the education of children and young adults, focusing on internet safety and online extremism o Create an official summit that includes industry and civil society to enhance cybersecurity discourse. - Industry Interaction o Take into account what industry has already implemented when creating new policy o Maintain that the removal of extremist accounts stays in the hands of industry o Allow the legal collection of necessary information by the government and law enforcement if the person(s) in question present a clear and present danger In this report, we will outline extremist use patterns of social media and explore the balance of civilian privacy with national security. We will then address existing government responses to extremist use patterns and end with civil society's role in keeping government accountable to the people it serves. We will lastly demonstrate that the afore summarized recommendations are the best way to effectively address extremist use patterns of social media for fundraising and communication efforts. Details: Seattle: Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, 2017. 100p. Source: Internet Resource: Task Force Report 2017: Accessed May 10, 2018 at: https://jsis.washington.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Task-Force-B-Report_2017_Beyer.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://jsis.washington.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Task-Force-B-Report_2017_Beyer.pdf Shelf Number: 150141 Keywords: CybercrimeCybersecurityExtremistsNational SecuritySocial MediaTerrorists |
Author: Bale, Hazell Louise Title: Online Child Sexual Offending: Psychological Characteristics of Offenders and the Process of Exploitation Summary: Background and Objectives: The rise in cases of online child sexual exploitation has become a global problem. Understanding both the psychological profiles of this offender group and the strategies employed during the process of exploitation, is crucial for aiding prevention and detection of these crimes as well as informing treatment and educational programmes. Thus, there were two main aims of the thesis. Firstly, a systematic review was conducted to investigate the psychological characteristics of online child sexual offenders (OCSO). Secondly, research was carried out to examine the utility of a pre-existing process model of grooming in the online sexual exploitation of children (O'Connell, 2003). Methodology: A systematic search of papers published between 2006 and 2016 was carried out. Those eligible for inclusion measured psychological characteristics using psychometric tools. A quality checklist was designed to appraise the methodological robustness of each paper. For the research study, qualitative content analysis of 63 online chat logs between offenders and children was undertaken. Logs were initially coded for correspondence to stages and strategies outlined by O'Connell, and additional codes assigned to themed text that did not fit this model. Results: The systematic review revealed fourteen papers for inclusion, and collective strengths and weaknesses were identified. Compared to contact offenders, few differences in psychological characteristics were identified; however tentative evidence suggests that online offenders experience greater interpersonal deficits whilst contact offenders present with more antisocial difficulties. Qualitative content analysis of chat logs revealed partial support for O'Connell's model. Several offender strategies proposed to take place during the sexual stage were evidenced. However, no logs showed evidence of all six stages. Additional offender strategies identified included flattery and minimising their behaviour. Various child strategies were identified, with children refusing all sexual advances in the majority of logs (n=34). Conclusions: Generic sexual offender treatment packages may not best meet the needs of OCSO. An alternative is discussed. Future research should focus on the development of psychometric tools for use with OCSO. Offenders appear heterogeneous in their approach to online sexual exploitation of children. Effective educational programmes must emphasise the speed at which many offenders will introduce sexual content, for whom traditional notions of grooming do not apply. Details: Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh, 2017. 94p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 24, 2018 at: https://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1842/25808/Bale2017.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1842/25808/Bale2017.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y Shelf Number: 150350 Keywords: Child Grooming Child Pornography Child Sex Abuse Child Sexual Exploitation Computer Crimes Online Victimization Pedophilia Social Media |
Author: Dawson, Justin C. Title: Strategies to Mitigate the Impact of Electronic Communication and Electronic Devices on the Right to a Fair Trial Summary: he proliferation of electronic communication and electronic devices throughout modern society presents new challenges to the judicial system in protecting the right to a fair trial. Electronic communication, including texts, emails, blogs, social network posts, and other information accessed through the Internet, provides opportunities to expose confidential witnesses or informants, intimidate witnesses and victims from testifying, and bias jurors. Electronic devices can be used to record an image of a witness, identify that witness and expose him or her on the Internet, or communicate with a juror in an attempt to influence the outcome of a case. Jurors may also compromise their own independence by using electronic devices to access or share information about trial proceedings before the case is resolved. Court practices to protect the right to a fair trial have not kept pace with rapidly evolving electronic communication and devices, and traditional approaches to identify and protect against witness intimidation and to preserve juror impartiality are likely insufficient in the face of their near universal use, which facilitates access to information about nearly anything and anyone. On behalf of the National Institute of Justice, the Priority Criminal Justice Needs Initiative convened a panel, including judges, lawyers, educators, and other experts, to identify ways that electronic communication can impact the right to a fair trial and to recommend strategies to protect witnesses from intimidation and jurors from compromising their independence. The panel proceedings and recommendations are presented in this report. Key Findings Judges Should Have Authority to Use Their Own Discretion to Find Solutions for Their Courtrooms Legislation may help mitigate some of the problems introduced by electronic communication, but judges need discretion in their own courtrooms. Judges and attorneys need flexibility in engaging with jurors, who are used to communicating electronically throughout the day but must be limited during trial proceedings. Electronic Device Bans in the Courtroom Are Viewed as Effective in Mitigating Witness Intimidation However, jury sequestration to minimize or eliminate misconduct with electronic communication is considered to be generally impractical and counterproductive. More Public Education Would Clarify the Importance of Due Process and How Electronic and Social Media Communication May Violate the Constitutional Rights of Defendants and Other Parties to a Case Continuing education is also needed for the judiciary and court practitioners on evolving modes of electronic communication. Recommendations Undertake fundamental research on how the exploding volume of electronic data could affect the protection of rights. Develop methods to better assess the effect on the judicial process of jurors' "outside research" during trials. Identify approaches both to limit juror use of mobile devices to do "outside research" during trials and to educate jurors on this issue. Develop methods to monitor juror and defendant social media activity, given concerns about the use of social media to influence judicial processes. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2018. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 25, 2018 at: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2155.html Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2155.html Shelf Number: 150365 Keywords: InternetJuriesOnline CommunicationsSocial MediaTrials |
Author: Amnesty International Title: Toxic Twitter: Violence and Abuse Against Women Online Summary: Twitter is a social media platform used by hundreds of millions of people around the world to debate, network and share information with each other. From high-level female politicians to journalists, activists, writers and bloggers, to women who simply want to know what's happening around them - Twitter can be a powerful tool for women to make connections and express themselves. In fact, the company has touted itself as a place where 'every voice has the power to impact the world'. But for many women, Twitter is a platform where violence and abuse against them is allowed to flourish, often with little accountability. As a company, Twitter is failing to respect women's rights online by inadequately investigating and responding to reports of violence and abuse in a transparent manner. The violence and abuse many women experience on the platform has a detrimental effect on their right to express themselves equally, freely and without fear. Instead of Twitter strengthening women's voices, the violence and abuse women experience on the platform means that women are self-censoring what they post, limiting their interactions, or being driven off Twitter completely. At a watershed moment when women around the world are using their collective power to speak out and amplify their voices through social media platforms, Twitter's failure to respect human rights and tackle violence and abuse means that instead of women using their voices 'to impact the world', many women are instead being pushed backwards towards a culture of silence. Details: London: AI, 2018. 77p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 25, 2018 at: https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Toxic-Twitter.pdf Year: 2018 Country: International URL: https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Toxic-Twitter.pdf Shelf Number: 150374 Keywords: Online VictimizationSocial MediaTwitterViolence Against Women |
Author: Phillips, Whitney Title: The Oxygen of Amplification: Better Practices for Reporting on Extremists, Antagonists, and Manipulators Online Summary: We live in a time where new forms of power are emerging, where social and digital media are being leveraged to reconfigure the information landscape. This new domain requires journalists to take what they know about abuses of power and media manipulation in traditional information ecosystems and apply that knowledge to networked actors, such as white nationalist networks online. These actors create new journalistic stumbling blocks that transcend attempts to manipulate reporters solely to spin a beneficial narrative - which reporters are trained to decode - and instead represent a larger effort focused on spreading hateful ideology and other false and misleading narratives, with news coverage itself harnessed to fuel hate, confusion, and discord. The choices reporters and editors make about what to cover and how to cover it play a key part in regulating the amount of oxygen supplied to the falsehoods, antagonisms, and manipulations that threaten to overrun the contemporary media ecosystemand, simultaneously, threaten to undermine democratic discourse more broadly. This context demands that journalists and the newsrooms that support them examine with greater scrutiny how these actors and movements endeavor to subvert journalism norms, practices, and objectives. More importantly, journalists, editors, and publishers must determine how the journalistic rule set must be strengthened and fortified against this newest form of journalistic manipulation - in some cases through the rigorous upholding of long-standing journalistic principles, and in others, by recognizing which practices and structural limitations make reporters particularly vulnerable to manipulation. With a particular focus on coverage of internet trolls, conspiracy theories, and networks of white nationalists during and after the 2016 US presidential election, this report explores these issues through the perspectives of those who must navigate this territory every day: the journalists themselves. The report's three parts incorporate interviews with 50 individuals with intimate knowledge of the contemporary news media. Fifty-six percent of these respondents are women, 30% are people of color, and 26% are natural-born citizens of countries outside the United States, with additional insights gleaned from the scores of the more informal discussions the author - a frequent expert commentator on stories about internet trolling - has had with reporters since 2010. While each part may be read on its own, each informs and is informed by the others. Details: New York: Data & Society, 2018. 128p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 31, 2018 at: https://datasociety.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/FULLREPORT_Oxygen_of_Amplification_DS.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://datasociety.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/FULLREPORT_Oxygen_of_Amplification_DS.pdf Shelf Number: 150414 Keywords: ExtremistsInternetJournalistsMass MediaMediaSocial MediaTerrorists |
Author: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Title: "Is this sexual abuse?" NSPCC helplines report: peer sexual abuse Summary: It's normal for children to demonstrate a range of sexual behaviours as they grow up. But sometimes they may behave in a sexualised way that is inappropriate to their age and stage of development. We call this harmful sexual behaviour, because it's harmful to the children who display it, as well as the people it's directed towards. There are many reasons why children display harmful sexual behaviour, but research shows that exposure to trauma can be a key factor in its development (Hackett, 2016). Harmful sexual behaviour can be displayed towards peers, younger children, older children or adults. It ranges from behaviour that is socially inappropriate to behaviour that is unexpected or impulsive, and behaviour with an element of victimisation or violence. This may include unwanted or inappropriate touching; forcing or coercing someone else to watch or take part in sexualised activity; and sexual violence. Around a third of child sexual abuse is committed by other children and young people (Hackett, 2014). We hear from parents and professionals who are concerned about children displaying sexualised behaviour. In 2016/17, there were 663 contacts to our helpline about this. Many of the adults who got in touch weren't confident about deciding whether sexualised behaviour is 'normal' or harmful, and they weren't sure of the best way to respond. Puberty can be a confusing time and peer relationships naturally change as children grow up. This can mean children also find it difficult to identify which sexual behaviours are appropriate and inappropriate. Those who display harmful sexual behaviour may not recognise that they are doing so. Those who experience harmful sexual behaviour may realise it makes them feel unhappy or unsafe, but they aren't always clear about how to respond. In 2016/17, our Childline service delivered 3,004 counselling sessions to children and young people who were concerned about having been sexually abused by their peers. This might be a friend; boyfriend or girlfriend; ex-partner; or another young person who was under the age of 18, and who isn't related to them. Throughout this report we're calling this type of abuse 'peer sexual abuse'. Peer sexual abuse can take place in a range of locations including at school, at home, at social events and online. According to a BBC Freedom of Information request, the number of police-recorded sexual offences by under-18-year-olds against other under-18-year-olds in England and Wales rose by 71 per cent between 2013/14 (4,603) and 2016/17 (7,866) (BBC, 2017). However, it's likely that peer sexual abuse is underreported. Research carried out by Radford in 2009 found that 1 in 3 children sexually abused by an adult didn't tell anyone at the time, and this figure is even higher for children who have experienced peer sexual abuse (Radford et al, 2011). Some young people tell our Childline counsellors they don't want to speak out, for reasons like: - being worried about getting a friend or partner into trouble - being blackmailed or threatened into keeping things secret - being afraid of being bullied - not being sure they will be believed. They may not fully understand whether they gave consent for sexual activity to take place, feel guilty or think they are somehow to blame - especially if alcohol was involved, or if they were involved in sexting (sharing explicit texts, images or videos). We want to help adults support children who are affected by peer sexual abuse more effectively. It's vital that children and young people who have experienced any form of abuse know it wasn't their fault, and are able to get the right help at the right time. So in this report we're sharing what young people have told Childline about their experiences of peer sexual abuse. We've looked at how peer sexual abuse takes place; the impact this has on young people's lives; and the challenges they face accessing support. We're also highlighting what they say helps them get back on track after experiencing peer sexual abuse, what they're telling us about the support they need, and how we can best prevent peer sexual abuse from happening. Details: London: NSPCC, 2018. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 3, 2018 at: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/nspcc-helplines-report-peer-sexual-abuse.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/nspcc-helplines-report-peer-sexual-abuse.pdf Shelf Number: 150451 Keywords: Child ProtectionChild Sexual AbuseJuvenile Sex OffendersPeer RelationsPeer Sexual AbuseSextingSexual AbuseSocial Media |
Author: Pacheco, Edgar Title: New Zealand Teens and Digital Harm: Statistical insights into experiences, impact and response Summary: This report presents the findings of a nationally representative study whose purpose was to explore the experiences, attitudes, and behaviours of New Zealand teens about digital communications including harm and/or distress. It was conducted by Netsafe in partnership with the Ministry for Women (the Ministry). While there is growing interest in examining young people's experiences and use of digital technologies, including the challenges and risks teens face, evidence based on representative data in the New Zealand context has been unavailable. The study focuses on the prevalence of New Zealand teens' experiences with a range of unwanted digital communications1 in the previous year and the impact these experiences had on them, both emotionally and in carrying out everyday life activities. It also describes teens' responses, the effectiveness of their coping actions, and to whom they would turn for help in the future. The study reveals distinctive differences regarding experiences of harm and/or distress through unwanted digital communications among different sub-groups of the population surveyed. More noticeable are the varying experiences in the context of gender, with girls being more likely to experience disruptions in their everyday life activities and an emotional toll because of unwanted digital communications. These insights are consistent with key findings from Insights into Digital Harm: The Online Lives of New Zealand Girls and Boys, a qualitative study released last year by the Ministry in collaboration with Netsafe. Similar patterns have been identified in the context of participants' ethnicity, disability and age. The research technique for data collection was an online survey conducted with a sample of 1,001 New Zealand teens aged 14-17 years old and distributed on key demographic variables such as age, gender, disability, ethnicity and location. Fieldwork was conducted in the third term of the 2017 school year. Data collection and initial analysis was carried out by Colmar Brunton. Strict procedures were followed to ensure the protection of participants' privacy and confidentiality. The margin of error of this study is +/- 3.1% on total results. As digital technologies continue to evolve, so too will the ways young people engage with them. Further research will be required to fully explain new dimensions of the complex nature of teens' and children's interaction with their online environment. We believe government agencies, online content and service providers, law enforcement, the research community, and the general public will find this report useful. The findings can contribute to the development of policies and practices that are intended to support New Zealand teens to safely take advantage of the benefits of digital technologies and online environments. Details: Wellington, NZ: Netsafe, 2018. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed June 19, 2018 at: https://www.netsafe.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/NZ-teens-and-digital-harm_statistical-insights_2018.pdf Year: 2018 Country: New Zealand URL: https://www.netsafe.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/NZ-teens-and-digital-harm_statistical-insights_2018.pdf Shelf Number: 150578 Keywords: Digital HarmInternetOnline CommunicationsOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Bentley, Holly Title: How Safe are Our Children? The Most Comprehensive Overview of Child Protection in the UK: 2018 Summary: Technology is central to children's lives. In 2017, just over half of children aged 12 had at least one social media account, despite the minimum age requirements for many sites being 13. By age 13, that figure rises to nearly three-quarters. Today's children don't see the division between 'online' and 'offline' worlds. Social media is now a ubiquitous part of childhood, but alongside wonderful opportunities, it opens up an array of potential harms. For too long, social networks have been allowed to treat child safeguarding as an optional extra. We don't have the same protections in place online as offline, and the result is that children are exposed to unacceptable risks, in the spaces where they socialise, trust, and play. After a decade of inaction, the challenge we face is now immense, but not insurmountable. The scale and complexity of the online threat is growing. Most platforms have failed to integrate child safeguarding into their business models or the design of their platforms. Rapidly developing technology creates new opportunities to initiate, maintain and escalate abuse. As this year's How safe are our children? report makes clear, tackling these risks is now at the frontline in the fight for every childhood. What are the risks to children on social networks? Social media is part of the fabric of children's lives. Every moment, every experience is something to be captured online. Posts on social media aren't just a catalogue of 'real' life, they are an integral part of it. The ubiquity of social media carries many risks, from exposure to inappropriate and sexualised content, to the production and distribution of child abuse imagery, through to the growing scale of technology-facilitated grooming. Platforms provide new opportunities to initiate and facilitate abuse. With so many children using social networks, gaming and messaging sites, it means that today's children and young people are increasingly exposed to the threat of abuse or exploitation, from both adults and their peers Through the ease of access afforded by smartphones, groomers can target significant numbers of children, and quickly escalate and maintain their abuse. Groomers can readily move children into the shadows, moving children from well-known platforms to encrypted and hidden sites. New types of technology, notably livestreaming, provide new opportunities for abusers to control and coerce children into increasingly extreme forms of abuse. Self-generated imagery is a considerable issue, accounting for around a third of recent images removed by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). Although children do not perceive a difference between their online and offline worlds, evidence suggests that lowered inhibitions can mean that children comply with requests that they would not offline. Once a self-generated image has been taken, it opens the door for exploitation and blackmail (including to prevent disclosure). The impact of losing control over an image can be devastating, particularly when it is shared among peers' social networks, sent to family members, or shared much more widely.Social networks have consistently failed to address these problems - and it is clear that their unwillingness to do so has actively fuelled the scale and extent of the risks that children now face. Platforms have failed to build in adequate safeguarding protections, take steps to proactively tackle grooming, and to do enough to proactively tackle child sexual abuse imagery at source. Successive governments have also repeatedly failed to intervene, placing disproportionate weight on the claims made by industry. As a result, for over a decade, social networks have repeatedly failed to protect their child users. Details: London: NSPCC, 2018. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 21, 2018 at: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/how-safe-children-2018-report.pdf?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_content=How%20safe%20are%20our%20children%3F%20The%20most%20comprehensive%20overview%20of%20child%20protection%20in%20the%20UK.&utm_campaign=nitl-newsletter Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/how-safe-children-2018-report.pdf?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_content=How%20safe%20are%20our%20children%3F%20The%20most%20comprehensive%20overview%2 Shelf Number: 150628 Keywords: Child AbuseChild ExploitationChild GroomingChild ProtectionInternet CrimesOnline SafetyOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Article 19 Title: Responding to 'hate speech': Comparative overview of six EU countries Summary: This report provides a comparative overview of legal and policy responses to 'hate speech' in six EU countries: Austria, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Poland and the United Kingdom. The report finds hate speech to be a significant problem across all countries. Despite some examples of good practice, legal and regulatory frameworks in these countries are failing to adequately address these problems. 'Hate speech' is not a new problem within the European Union; however, it is of growing concern. Over the past two decades, 'hate speech' incidents, motivated on various grounds, have increased in many European countries. This is often accompanied by an increase in the number of hate crimes being recorded. This trend appears to have been driven by the long-standing global economic crisis, and an increase in migrants and refugees arriving in Europe. A tense political discourse surrounding the role of the EU in responding to this, and 'Eurosceptic' rhetoric has also played a role. 'Hate speech' is reflected in the media, online and in political discourse, including sometimes in statements made by politicians and public officials. In many cases, the rise in prejudice and intolerance can be directly linked to a government's own policies and communication strategies. International human rights law requires states to jointly protect and promote the rights to freedom of expression and the right to equality: one right cannot be prioritised over another, and any tensions between them must be resolved within the boundaries of international human rights law. As established below, states are required to prohibit particularly severe forms of 'hate speech', which in exceptional circumstances can be done through criminal law. They are also obliged to create an enabling environment for the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and equality, and to enact a range of positive measures for the protection of these rights. This report finds widespread deficiencies across the six countries' national frameworks on 'hate speech' in terms of compatibility with applicable international freedom of expression standards, as well as inconsistencies in implementation of the available legislation. In ARTICLE 19's view, these deficiencies render the legal framework open to political abuse, including against precisely those minority groups that laws should protect. Moreover, the six countries are failing to provide effective remedies to victims of 'hate speech', with their legal and policy frameworks insufficient to enable effective resolution of inter-communal tensions or poor social cohesion. This report includes recommendations to EU Member States for how to ensure better protection of both the right to freedom of expression and the right to equality. In March and April 2018, ARTICLE 19 will release individual country reports, providing an in-depth analysis of their legal and regulatory responses to hate speech. We have also produced an overview of best practice in responding to 'hate speech'. This research was carried out as part of "Media Against Hate", a Europe-wide campaign initiated by the European Federation of Journalists and a coalition of civil society organisations, including the Media Diversity Institute, ARTICLE 19, the Croatian Journalists Association, Community Media Forum Europe, Community Medien Institut and Cooperazione per lo Sviluppo dei Paesi Emergenti. Details: London: Article 19, 2018. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 9, 2018 at: http://europeanjournalists.org/mediaagainsthate/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Final-compilation-off-regional-research-digital.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Europe URL: http://europeanjournalists.org/mediaagainsthate/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Final-compilation-off-regional-research-digital.pdf Shelf Number: 150791 Keywords: Bias-Motivated Crimes Freedom of Expression Hate Speech Online Victimization Social Media |
Author: Rollins, Tom Title: Physical Fences and Digital Divides. A Global Detention Project Investigation into the Role of Social Media in the Context of Migration Control. Part I: Exposing the "Crisis" Summary: A migrant essential or a criminal marketplace? Since the "refugee crisis" exploded across the international media and political landscapes, the role of social media has been repeatedly dissected, argued over, and-more often than not-misunderstood. Although officials and politicians often present new digital platforms as security threats that enable traffickers and illicit enterprises, these technologies also have played a critically important role in aiding refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in need. They help people connect to the outside world from inside detention centres, provide desperately needed information about sources of humanitarian assistance, and enable the creation of digital communities that give migrants and their loved ones' agency to proactively search out solutions. This Global Detention Project Special Report is aimed at improving our understanding of how people use social media during their migration journeys, with a special emphasis on their use in the context of detention and migration control in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Part I, "Exposing the 'Crisis,'" charts the historical relationship between migration and social media, reviewing the various tech responses to the "crisis" and highlighting the importance of human-centred design of new technologies. Two subsequent installments in this series will include on-the-ground reports of the diverse ways people put social media to use during their migration journeys and provide recommendations for human rights practitioners who wish to harness social media in ways that emphasise harm-reduction. Details: Geneva: Global Detention Project, 2018. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 14, 2018 at: https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/physical-fences-and-digital-divides-exposing-the-crisis Year: 2018 Country: International URL: https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/physical-fences-and-digital-divides-exposing-the-crisis Shelf Number: 1508073 Keywords: Asylum Seekers Immigrant Detention Immigration Immigration Enforcement Immigration Policy Migrants Refugees Social Media |
Author: Polaris Project Title: On-Ramps, Intersections, and Exit Routes: A Roadmap for Systems and Industries to Prevent and Disrupt Human Trafficking Summary: Harold D'Souza hardly seemed like an obvious candidate for a five-figure bank loan. He had only just arrived from India, with a wife, two young boys, and a job offer that turned out to be fraudulent. Yet somehow, with just a few signatures on a few dotted lines, Harold walked out the door of a bank with what would have been a small fortune had he been allowed to access it. Of course, he wasn't. Every dime of that money went to the man who actually arranged for the loan - the trafficker. This was the same man who brought Harold to the United States with the promise of a high-paying professional job and instead forced him to work in a restaurant and live in a virtual prison of debt and desperation. Exactly how the trafficker managed to secure a loan of tens of thousands of dollars in the name of a newly arrived migrant worker with no verifiable source of income remains a mystery to Harold. Clearly though, it was not dumb luck. The trafficker knew exactly how to work within and around a highly regulated and legitimate industry - banking - to maximize the profit he made on Harold and his family. It was all part of his business plan. The man whose lies and manipulations robbed Harold of his freedom was not unique to his field. A successful trafficker, like any successful entrepreneur, begins with a business plan built on a platform of established business models and best practices. Over time, that plan is chiseled to perfection as the trafficker learns new skills and tests out innovative new ways to monetize the exploitation of human beings. As with any enterprise, the business plan of a human trafficking venture is not built in a vacuum but rather exists within an ecosystem or matrix, depending on and intersecting with a range of legitimate industries and systems - cultural, governmental, environmental. Examples are abundant. Traffickers use banks to store their earnings and buses to move their victims around; hotel rooms are integral to the operations of some sex traffickers, social media is a vital recruitment trawling ground for others. This report takes a magnifying glass to such private-sector intersections. The details matter. The more that is known about the business plans of human trafficking, the more possible it becomes to prevent and disrupt the crime and help survivors find freedom. The insights here are gleaned from those in a position to understand the nuances of each business intersection point - the survivors who lived the experience. They are not definitive scientific conclusions but rather valuable baseline narratives that can spark further exploration and collaboration from other sectors. Each set of insights is followed by detailed recommendations for turning them into action, industry by industry. Like the insights and information that precede them, these recommendations are also not intended to be definitive. They are a beginning; an invitation. What we have learned is only as valuable as the partners who join us in making the recommendations a reality - and by offering more of their own. This report builds upon Polaris's 2017 report, The Typology of Modern Slavery, which analyzed data, gleaned from nearly 10 years of operating the National Human Trafficking Hotline, to show that human trafficking in the United States consists of 25 distinct business models. For each, the Typology report illuminated the basic operational plan - the demographics of both victims and traffickers, and how victims are recruited and controlled. Details: Washington, DC: Polaris Project, 2018. 176p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed july 27, 2018 at: https://polarisproject.org/sites/default/files/A%20Roadmap%20for%20Systems%20and%20Industries%20to%20Prevent%20and%20Disrupt%20Human%20Trafficking.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://polarisproject.org/sites/default/files/A%20Roadmap%20for%20Systems%20and%20Industries%20to%20Prevent%20and%20Disrupt%20Human%20Trafficking.pdf Shelf Number: 150930 Keywords: Debt BondageHuman TraffickingModern SlaverySocial Media |
Author: Hollywood, John Title: Using Social Media and Social Network Analysis in Law Enforcement. Creating a Research Agenda, Including Business Cases, Protections, and Technology Needs Summary: In April 2017, the National Institute of Justice convened an expert panel to identify high-priority needs for law enforcement's use of social media and social network analysis. The panel characterized business cases for employing social media and social network analysis in law enforcement, including monitoring for short-term safety threats in postings; identifying those at high risk of involvement in violence, either acutely or chronically; and investigating specific crimes and organized crime networks. The panel also specified a core case not to do: monitoring of First Amendment-protected activity for vague purposes. The panel next specified a framework for providing computer security, privacy, and civil rights protections when employing these types of analysis. The framework includes data protections for ensuring legal backings and information security; analytic protections for ensuring protection of findings, legal backing, and equitable justice outcomes; and protections on enforcement actions to ensure consistent and equitable actions and outcomes. Finally, the panel identified and prioritized needs for innovation related to social media and social network analysis. The first part of the resulting innovation agenda concerns developing policies and strategies, including best practices for transparency and collaborative decisionmaking with communities, as well as model policies. The second part is technical development, starting with assessing current tools and how they might be better tailored to law enforcement. The third part concerns law enforcement-specific training, starting with assessing gaps in current training. Training on legal issues is a short-term priority. The final part is creation of a help desk to help law enforcement agencies navigate requests to social media companies and interpret the resulting data. Key Findings - Business cases for social media and social network analysis The panel discussed five core business cases for employing social media and social network analysis in law enforcement: monitoring for activity indicating short-term safety threats in postings, and communicating responses as needed; identifying those at high risk for involvement in violence; actively monitoring the high-risk to see whether violence may be imminent; investigating organized crime networks; and investigating specific crimes. The panel also discussed one core case not to do: monitoring First Amendment-protected activity for vague or unspecified purposes. Core security, privacy, and civil rights protections Data protections relate primarily to documenting procedures and policies, and having protections for, data searches and collections. Analysis protections provide a common set of policies and procedures needed for the deployment and use of analytic tools drawing on social media and other personal communications data. Action protections ensure both that policing practices are not distorted and that both enforcement and social service actions are employed consistently and equitably. An innovation agenda for social media analysis and social network analysis in law enforcement The first part of the expert panel's innovation agenda is to support working with communities to develop policies and strategies for using social media and social network analysis. The second part is technical research on law enforcement-specific social media and social network analysis. The third part is supporting law enforcement-specific training on social media and social network analysis. The final part is creation of a help desk to help law enforcement agencies navigate requests to social media companies. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2018. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 27, 2018 at: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2301.html Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2301.html Shelf Number: 150934 Keywords: InternetLaw Enforcement TechnologyPolice TechnologySocial MediaSocial Network Analysis |
Author: Anderson, Monica Title: A Majority of Teens Have Experienced Some Form of Cyberbullying Summary: Name-calling and rumor-spreading have long been an unpleasant and challenging aspect of adolescent life. But the proliferation of smartphones and the rise of social media has transformed where, when and how bullying takes place. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that 59% of U.S. teens have personally experienced at least one of six types of abusive online behaviors. The most common type of harassment youth encounter online is name-calling. Some 42% of teens say they have been called offensive names online or via their cellphone. Additionally, about a third (32%) of teens say someone has spread false rumors about them on the internet, while smaller shares have had someone other than a parent constantly ask where they are, who they're with or what they're doing (21%) or have been the target of physical threats online (16%). While texting and digital messaging are a central way teens build and maintain relationships, this level of connectivity may lead to potentially troubling and non-consensual exchanges. One-quarter of teens say they have been sent explicit images they didn't ask for, while 7% say someone has shared explicit images of them without their consent. These experiences are particularly concerning to parents. Fully 57% of parents of teens say they worry about their teen receiving or sending explicit images, including about one-quarter who say this worries them a lot, according to a separate Center survey of parents. The vast majority of teens (90% in this case) believe online harassment is a problem that affects people their age, and 63% say this is a major problem. But majorities of young people think key groups, such as teachers, social media companies and politicians are failing at tackling this issue. By contrast, teens have a more positive assessment of the way parents are addressing cyberbullying. These are some of the key findings from the Center's surveys of 743 teens and 1,058 parents living in the U.S. conducted March 7 to April 10, 2018. Throughout the report, "teens" refers to those ages 13 to 17, and "parents of teens" are those who are the parent or guardian of someone in that age range. Details: Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2018. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 3, 2018 at: http://www.pewinternet.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2018/09/PI_2018.09.27_teens-and-cyberbullying_FINAL.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: http://www.pewinternet.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2018/09/PI_2018.09.27_teens-and-cyberbullying_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 151778 Keywords: BullyingComputer CrimeCyber CrimeCyberbullyingOnline VictimizationSocial MediaTeenagers |
Author: Meleshevich, Kirill Title: Online Information Laundering: The Role of Social Media Summary: Revelations that the Kremlin exploited social networking tools to disseminate and promote divisive content in the United States and Europe have highlighted the role of those platforms in the proliferation of disinformation. While a great deal of attention has been given to both the creators and consumers of disinformation, far less focus has been paid to how disinformation spreads from questionable to credible sources online. In order for social media companies to combat the misuse of their platforms by state and non-state actors, it is important to recognize how the online information space operates and what tactics are used by those exploiting it. Operational similarities between the placement and spread of disinformation online and the laundering of ill gotten financial gains can provide useful insights for analysts and policymakers. By understanding those similarities, governments and the tech sector can fight disinformation by considering many of the techniques honed by anti-money laundering practitioners. Details: Washington, DC: Alliance for Securing Democracy, 2018. 7p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 1, 2018 at:https://securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/InfoLaundering_final-edited.pdf Year: 2018 Country: International URL: https://securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/online-information-laundering-the-role-of-social-media/ Shelf Number: 153133 Keywords: Anti-Money Laundering Disinformation Illicit Money Laundering Money Laundering Social Media |
Author: International Centre for Missing & Exploited Chidlren Title: Studies in Child Protection: Sexual Extortion and Nonconsensual Pornography Summary: The rapid evolution of technology and the increasingly widespread use of the Internet, have changed the face of child sexual exploitation globally. Child sexual exploitation includes, but is not limited to: enticing, manipulating, or threatening a child into performing sexual acts in front of a webcam; grooming children online with the goal of sexually exploiting them; and distributing child sexual abuse material online.2 Sex offenders have become proficient in using technology to engage in child sexual abuse by utilizing the Internet as a vehicle to meet children in order to prepare them for sexual encounters, or even to target, manipulate, and lure them into sex trafficking. While the vulnerability of children to sexual predators is not new, the tools predators use and the language to describe various types of online child sexual abuse have changed remarkably. Two forms of online child sexual exploitation have emerged as pervasive threats to children's safety around the world: sexual extortion, commonly referred to as "sextortion," and nonconsensual pornography or nonconsensual sharing of intimate images, also often referred to as "revenge pornography." Details: Alexandria, VA: The Centre, 2018.46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 15, 2018 at: https://riselearningnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Sexual-Extortion_Nonconsensual-Pornography_final_10-26-18.pdf Year: 2018 Country: International URL: https://riselearningnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Sexual-Extortion_Nonconsensual-Pornography_final_10-26-18.pdf Shelf Number: 153477 Keywords: Child GroomingChild PornographyChild ProtectionChild Sexual ExploitationOnline Child Sexual AbuseRevenge PornographySextortionSocial Media |
Author: Wolak, Janis Title: Sextortion: Findings from a survey of 1,631 Victims Summary: THE SURVEY AND SURVEY GOALS -- Thorn and the Crimes against Children Research Center of the University of New Hampshire conducted an online survey of persons ages 18 to 25 who have been targets of threats to expose sexual images, or "sextortion" (n=1631). Respondents were recruited mainly through ads on Facebook and asked to complete anonymous surveys if they had been targets of sextortion. Our goal was to inform strategies to reduce these incidents by: - Educating the public and practitioners about sextortion; - Improving mechanisms for reporting to websites, apps and other technology programs that are being used for sextortion; promoting reporting to technology companies by targets of sextortion and increasing effective responses to such reports; - Equipping technology companies with more knowledge and information about how their platforms are being used in sextortion so they can create preventive strategies to combat the problem; and - Encouraging help-seeking by targets of sextortion and providing them with resources. Details about how the survey was conducted can be found at the end of this report. SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS -- Sextortion is defined as threats to expose a sexual image in order to make a person do something or for other reasons, such as revenge or humiliation. Persons who completed the online survey are referred to as "respondents" and those who threatened them as "perpetrators." The respondents in our sample were primarily female (83%) and teenagers (ages 18 and 19); about 40% were in their early 20s. The sextortion episodes they reported were diverse, but incidents broadly fell into two groups: a) In the wake of face-to-face romantic or sexual relationships during which sexual images were taken or shared, an aggrieved partner threatened to disseminate images either to force reconciliation or to embarrass or humiliate the respondent. b) A perpetrator who met a respondent online used a sexual image obtained from the respondent or some other source to demand more images or sexual interactions. There was notable diversity in these episodes, however. Some respondents were male; demands were not always sexual in nature; and some perpetrators used elaborate deceptions to acquire images and threaten respondents. Details: Durham, NH: Crimes Aaainst Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, 2016. 81p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 15, 2018 at: https://www.wearethorn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Sextortion-Report-1.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.wearethorn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Sextortion-Report-1.pdf Shelf Number: 153478 Keywords: Online Victimization Sextortion Sexual Abuse Sexual Exploitation Social Media |
Author: Levin, Brian Title: Hate Crimes Rise in the U.S. Cities and Counties in Time of Division and Foreign Interference Summary: Hate crimes reported to police in Americas ten largest cities rose 12.5 percent in 2017. The increase was the fourth consecutive annual rise in a row and the highest total in over a decade according to an analysis by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. In contrast to the increase in hate crime in the ten largest cities last year, crime in general dropped slightly across the nation in the first half of 2017, with preliminary FBI figures showing a 0.8 percent decrease in violent crime and a 2.9 percent decrease in property crime. The 2017 ten city total of 1,038 hate crimes also marked the first time in more than a decade that the combined number of official reports have exceeded one thousand. In a larger sample of over three dozen large local agencies, the study found a near identical increase of 12 percent last year. The five largest cities reported a more moderate rise of 8.2 percent because of declines in New York and Chicago - cities that posted double digit percentage increases the year before. Partial year 2018 data, available for only some jurisdictions including New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Nassau County, NY also show notable declines, while Washington DC is up. Of the larger sample of American cities surveyed, those reporting the highest number of hate crimes last year were: New York at 339, down two percent; Los Angeles, 254, up 10.8 percent; Phoenix, 230, up 33 percent; Washington, D.C., 179, up 67 percent and Boston with 140, down almost two percent. The cities reporting the lowest number of hate crimes were Miami with none and Honolulu with one. The cities with the highest per capita number of reports, often a sign of superior reporting practices and response include Eugene, OR; Cincinnati, OH, Washington, DC, and Boston, MA. Along with the usual variables possibly impacting intergroup relations such as demographic changes, underlying communal stressors and catalytic events was another previously unknown one that recently emerged. Russian operatives engaged in an orchestrated manipulation of social media which they ramped up late in 2016, the majority of which revolved around dividing the nation along racial lines. Examples of these web postings as well as data from New York 339 -2%; Philadelphia 40 +91%; Dallas 14 +27%; Houston 11 +38%; Chicago 61 -14%; San Antonio 4 -60%; Phoenix 230 +33%; San Jose 44 +133%; Los Angeles 254 +11%; San Diego 41 +17%; the relevant time period are presented later in this report. The ramp up of Russian web activity during the election cycle coincided with a dramatic spike in hate crimes nationally which corresponded to the worst fourth quarter in eight years and the worst November ever. The late year 2016 increases were so great that for some cities, like New York and Chicago, large year over year increases for the first three quarters of 2017 evaporated into declines once full year data was tabulated and compared with the previous year. Details: San Bernardino, CA: Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, 2018. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 17, 2018 at: http://www.ochumanrelations.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2018-Hate-Report-CSU-San-Bernardino.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: http://www.ochumanrelations.org/news/report-shows-hate-crimes-rise-time-division-foreign-interference/ Shelf Number: 153860 Keywords: Hate Crimes Russian Interference Social Media |
Author: Counter Extremism Project Title: Extremists and Online Propaganda Summary: Official propaganda materials produced by the media arms of groups like ISIS, al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and al-Shabab are intentionally crafted to radicalize, inspire, and incite individuals to violence. These groups have produced propaganda in a myriad of textual, audio, and video forms - from music videos to glossy magazines - that have helped to convince individuals around the world to travel abroad to join extremist groups and to conduct deadly attacks in their home countries. At times, they have even offered specific guidance on how to do so. Abdirizak Warsame, who was arrested at the age of 19 for attempting to join ISIS abroad, stated that while watching violent ISIS execution videos on YouTube, he started to believe that he was "doing something for a greater cause --- for good" by supporting the group. Warsame was one of 57 individuals documented by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) who attempted to join an extremist group abroad, and one of 72 individuals who accessed explicitly violent propaganda materials. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev - who detonated two homemade bombs along with his brother, Tamerlan, at the April 2013 Boston Marathon - told investigators that he and his brother built the bombs using instructions from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula"s Inspire propaganda magazine. The Tsarnaev brothers were two of 26 individuals documented who successfully enacted an act of terror, and two of 25 individuals who accessed propaganda materials that provided instructions on how to prepare or execute violent terrorist acts. (Sources: U.S. Department of Justice 2013, Slate, Foreign Policy, CBS News) Official extremist group propaganda materials are easily disseminated and accessed on the Internet. The individuals documented in this report accessed extremist group propaganda on a variety of social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, Google Plus, Skype, Paltalk, and WhatsApp. Several individuals also played a part in further propagating extremist propaganda materials. Of the 168 individuals documented by CEP, at least 51 disseminated propaganda materials either online, in person, or via mail, and 59 viewed or discussed propaganda materials with another individual. Even if extremist groups lose control over territory in their respective regions of operation, their ability to reach out and spread propaganda online will allow them to continue to attract support from across the globe. For example, even as ISIS steadily lost ground in Iraq and Syria throughout 2017, U.S. permanent resident Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov was still inspired by the group's propaganda videos to carry out a vehicular attack in New York City on October 31, 2017, that killed eight people. As long as extremist groups continue to produce compelling propaganda that plays a part in inspiring and inciting individuals to violence - and remains easily accessible online - terrorism in the name of these extremist groups will remain a threat worldwide. (Source: U.S. Department of Justice 2017) Details: New York, NY: Counter Extremism Project, 2018. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 9, 2019 at: https://www.counterextremism.com/extremists-online-propaganda Year: 2018 Country: International URL: https://www.counterextremism.com/sites/default/files/Extremists%20and%20Online%20Propaganda_040918.pdf Shelf Number: 154062 Keywords: al-Qaedaal-ShababCounter Extremism ProjectExtremismInternet ISISRadicalizationSocial MediaTalibanTerrorismViolent Extremism |
Author: McCue, Corrie Title: Ownership of Images: The Prevalence of Revenge Porn Across a University Population Summary: Abstract Since the Internet was first established in the late 1960s it has become significantly easier to gain access to. Email, bulletin board systems, and Internet gaming came to be in the 1970s. Internet pornography soon followed and access has continued to increase. A new trend in pornography includes interactive pornographic websites, which offers users the ability to upload and share pornographic materials. This ability allows individuals to not only post their own photos or videos, but also the photos and videos of others who may, or may not, have consented to such distribution. Nonconsensual pornography also referred to as "revenge porn," "cyber rape," or "involuntary porn," concerns the creation, acquisition and/or distribution of sexually graphic images or movies of individuals without their consent to the distribution. Simply, it is the nonconsensual distribution of consensually or nonconsensually created pornography. This exploratory research hopes to better understand the prevalence and effects of revenge porn amongst college students through a convenience sample of 167 criminal justice students at Bridgewater State University. Specifically this study asks, how prevalent is revenge porn among university students? What is the relationship between social media presence and revenge porn victimization? And what are the demographic characteristics of criminal justice students who post revenge porn online? Details: Bridgewater, MA: Bridgewater State University, 2016. 107p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 18, 2019 at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1041&context=theses Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://vc.bridgew.edu/theses/43/ Shelf Number: 154263 Keywords: College StudentsCyber RapeGraphic ImagesInternet CrimeInvoluntary PornNonconsensual PornographyPornographhic WebsitesPornographyRevenge PornSocial Media |
Author: Pacheco, Edgar Title: Children's exposure to sexually explicit content: Parents' awareness, attitudes and actions Summary: This report presents findings from a larger quantitative study about parenting, digital technologies and online risks. It focuses on parents and caregivers' awareness and attitudes regarding their child's exposure to sexually explicit content online. The study was conducted in New Zealand based on a nationally representative sample. Summary of findings - Parents' main online concerns are their children sharing nudes of themselves, being treated in a hurtful way, and seeing sexually explicit content. - 1 in 5 parents said their children were exposed to sexually explicit content online in the prior year. - Parents reported children's exposure to sexually explicit content increased with age; and exposure to sexually explicit content was more common among boys. - The main reasons parents gave for their child's exposure to this content were: it popped up on the screen/device, curiosity, and accidental access. - 39% of parents said they stayed calm after finding their children were exposed to sexually explicit content while 22% were angry, and 10% ignored the situation. - Most parents believe they know what to do and say if their children access or are exposed to sexually explicit content. - After a situation occurred, most parents (72%) talked with their children about sexually explicit content on the internet. - Most parents are confident talking with their children about pornography, while 2 in 10 feel embarrassed. Over half said they discuss sex education and sexuality with their children, while 3 in 10 do not. - Half of parents know where to access information and resources about children and pornography, while 4 in 10 do not. Details: Wellington, New Zealand : Netsafe, 2018. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 5, 2019 at: https://www.netsafe.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Parents-and-Pornography-2018_10Dec2018.pdf Year: 2018 Country: New Zealand URL: https://www.netsafe.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Parents-and-Pornography-2018_10Dec2018.pdf Shelf Number: 154491 Keywords: Digital CommunicationsInternetOnline PornographyParentingPornographySexually Explicit MaterialSocial Media |
Author: Finland. Ministry of Justice Title: Jokela School Shooting on 7 November 2007: Report of the Investigation Commission Summary: On 7 November 2007 a bloody deed took place in Jokela where a senior high school student shot eight persons and himself in a school centre. The reasons for the school shooting were multifarious and complex, and the shooting constituted a deliberate criminal act showing the methodical nature that constitutes an essential element of murder. The marginalization of the perpetrator was of a special kind, the result of several contributory factors. The family, upbringing and the school community but also society as a whole, nowadays including the Internet environment, are in a prime position for preventing marginalization. To prevent school shootings, time consuming work has to be carried out simultaneously on different fronts to find solutions to several issues. The Investigation Commission presents 13 recommendations to reduce the probability of school shootings and lessen the harm done by them. Many of the recommendations involve the prevention of marginalization. According to the Investigation Commission, student care should be developed so that the resources will correspond to recommendations, the work will be systematic, efforts will be made to actively identify the problems of the students and the performance of support measures ensured. Mental health services should be developed so that cooperation between basic health care, specialised health care and the social services will be smooth and a young person in need of help will get the best possible comprehensive care. Systematic and well-functioning practices to prevent bullying should be actively used in the schools. Intervention against school bullying should be made at an early stage and the situation followed up. The perpetrator found both models for the school shooting and like-minded discussion partners on the Internet. With the help of the Internet he was also able to ascertain the motives and thoughts of previous school shooters. In addition, he used the Internet to get publicity for his act. The Investigation Commission recommends that the Internet should be more comprehensively moderated and the web tip information system of the police enhanced. Among other things, the criminalisation of the preparation of an offence against life could give the police a better chance to pinpoint the identity of a person planning such an act. The Investigation Commission also takes a position on the development of the co-operation between the police, the Department for Rescue Services and the paramedic services as well as on the improvement of official information. The improvement of the work of the media is considered separately on the basis of a separate statute on the investigation of the event, and the Investigation Commission recommends stricter self-regulation. Details: Helsinki: The Author, 2009. 148p. Source: Internet Resource: Publication 2009:1: Accessed February 8, 2019 at: http://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/76172/omju_2009_1_jokela_school_shooting_on_7_november_2007.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Finland URL: http://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/76172/omju_2009_1_jokela_school_shooting_on_7_november_2007.pdf Shelf Number: 154537 Keywords: Gun Violence Internet Mass Shootings School Bullying School Shootings School Violence Social media |
Author: Conway, Maura Title: Violent Extremism and Terrorism Online in 2018: The Year in Review Summary: This report treats developments in the violent extremist and terrorist online scene(s) in the 12-month period from 1 December 2017 to 30 November 2018.1 It is divided into three parts: Part I focuses on the online activities of violent jihadis, particularly the so-called 'Islamic State' (hereafter IS); Part II supplies information on contemporary extreme right online activity; and Part III identifies issues in the violent extremism and terrorism online realm that bear watching in 2019. In terms of overarching trends, the focus of policymakers, internet companies, media, and thus also publics has, since 2014, been almost exclusively on IS's online activity. A growing concern with extreme right activity, both its online and offline variants, began to be apparent in 2017 however, especially in the wake of events in Charlottesville. This solidified in 2018 due to a number of factors, including a decrease in IS terrorist attacks in the West and an uptick in extreme right and hate attacks and terrorist events, a number of the latter of which appeared to have significant online components. Having said this, IS is still active on the ground in numerous locales globally and continues to produce and widely disseminate online content, as do a large number of other groups that share core tenets of its ideology. IS may be down therefore, but it is certainly not out. Details: Dublin: VOX-Pol Network of Excellence (NoE), 2019. 25p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2019 at: https://www.voxpol.eu/download/vox-pol_publication/Year-in-Review-2018.pdf Year: 2019 Country: International URL: https://www.voxpol.eu/download/vox-pol_publication/Year-in-Review-2018.pdf Shelf Number: 154690 Keywords: Internet CrimesIslamic State Jihadism Social Media Terrorism Violent Extremism Violent Extremists |
Author: Cardiff University Crime and Security Research Institute Title: Russian influence and interference measures following the 2017 UK terrorist attacks Summary: This policy brief details how independent analysis has identified systematic use of fake social media accounts, linked to Russia, amplifying the public impacts of four terrorist attacks that took place in the UK in 2017. Download the 4-page brief here. The evidence is that at least 47 different accounts were used to influence and interfere with public debate following all four attacks. Of these, 8 accounts were especially active, posting at least 475 Twitter messages across the 4 attacks, which were reposted in excess of 153,000 times. A significant aspect of these interference campaigns was the use of these accounts as 'sock puppets' - where interventions were made on both sides of polarised debates, amplifying their message and ramping up the level of discord and disagreement within public online debate. Details: Lancaster, UK: CREST, 2017. 4p. Source: https://crestresearch.ac.uk/resources/russian-influence-uk-terrorist-attacks/ Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: Shelf Number: 154798 Keywords: Fake News Russian Influence Social MediaTerrorism |
Author: Great Britain. House of Commons. Petitions Committee Title: Online abuse and the experience of disabled people. First Report of Session 2017-19 Summary: Social media is a means for people to organise, campaign and share experiences. It helps them to access services, manage their careers, shop, date and navigate a society that is too often designed without disabled people in mind. The disabled people we heard from were some of social media's most enthusiastic users. However, their experiences and Katie Price's petition highlight the extreme level of abuse that disabled people receive online-not just on social media, but in online games, web forums, newspaper comments sections and elsewhere. It is shameful that disabled people have had to leave social media whilst their abusers continue unchecked. Self-regulation of social media has failed disabled people. We agree with Katie Price's petition that the law on online abuse is not fit for purpose. Laws which cannot act against fake child pornography designed to mock a disabled child and his family cannot be considered adequate. Online abuse can destroy people's careers, their social lives and do lasting damage to their health. People should not have to avoid their town centre, local park or place of work to avoid sustained abuse, mockery and threats. Online spaces are just as important in the modern world and should be treated as such. Our recommendations focus on the experiences of disabled people as told to us during our inquiry and consultation events. We recognise there is wider work to do on the law on online abuse and the governance of social media. This is being taken up by other Select Committees. Our conclusions and recommendations should be read as a contribution to the conversation around online abuse, disability and the responsibility to ensure that offline and online spaces are safe and inclusive. For our part, our recommendations include: - The Government and social media companies must directly consult with disabled people on digital strategy and hate crime law. It is not enough to just provide alternative formats-though that is crucially importantor consult with self-appointed representatives. - Social media companies need to accept their responsibility for allowing toxic environments to exist unchallenged. They must ensure that their mechanisms and settings for managing content are accessible to and appropriate for all disabled people. They need to be more proactive in searching for and removing hateful and abusive content. They must demonstrate that they have worked in partnership with disabled people to achieve this. - The Government needs to recognise that the way disabled people are often marginalised offline plays a significant part in the abuse they receive online. It needs to challenge stereotypes and prejudices about disabled people, particularly among children and young people, and require proportionate representation of disabled people in its advertising. - Disability hate crime is not fully recognised and perpetrators are not appropriately punished. The law on hate crime must give disabled people the same protections as those who suffer hate crime due to race or religion. - The criminal justice system is too quick to categorise disabled people as "vulnerable". Hostility towards disabled people is often based on a perception that they are an easy target who can't contribute to society. The Government must recognise the links between prejudice against disabled people and their perceived vulnerability. Crimes against disabled people by reason of their disability should be recorded and sentenced as hate crimes. - It must be possible to see if someone has been convicted of a hate crime on the grounds of disability before employing them to work closely with disabled people. If the Government acts on our other recommendations, this should be possible through a Disclosure and Barring Service check. - The Government must review the experience of disabled people when reporting crimes and giving evidence. Too many disabled people have not been treated seriously because frontline officers and staff do not understand disability. Training and support is needed to overcome this. Good practice is too often isolated to a few specially trained police officers and initiatives. - The Government needs to review the law on exploitation within friendships or relationships. Social media companies need to review their processes and provide advice and support for those who identify as needing additional protection. In doing so, both Government and social media companies must consult directly with disabled people and respect their rights to make their own decisions about their lives. Details: London: House of Commons, 2019. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: HC 759: Accessed March 12, 2019 at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmpetitions/759/759.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmpetitions/759/759.pdf Shelf Number: 154898 Keywords: Disabled PersonsHate CrimeInternet CrimeOnline VictimizationSocial Media |
Author: Broadhurst, Roderic Title: Phishing and Spam: A Pilot Experiment Summary: In an exploratory pilot study 61 participants recruited during a university orientation week were exposed to social engineering directives in the form of fake email attacks that attempted to elicit personal information. Participants in a 'Hunter' condition were asked to remain to remain vigilant and report any suspicious content to researchers in the ANU Cybercrime Observatory. Participants in the 'Passive' condition received no such instruction. The first two attacks replicated mass generic phishing attempts in which use of names, personal greetings, and personal information were absent. The first generic attack required participants to respond to the email with personal information, and the second attack provided a 'compromised' link for participants to click. The third attack that was launched simulated a spear phishing attempt. In this attempt, the fake emails were tailored with participants' personal information obtained from social media in an attempt to entice participants to click links and enter personal details. The tailored emails impersonated trusted companies or contexts. As hypothesised participants were more susceptible to the specially targeted or spear phishing attacks than generic phishing attacks. 'Hunter' participants were more susceptible to all attacks compared to 'Passive' participants. This finding was contrary to our second hypothesis that alert participants would be more circumspect than those not so primed. "Hunter" participants however, were under-prepared and limited by a single instruction a few months prior to the dispatch of fake emails. Gender differences were also observed with females more likely to be susceptible in all conditions. The ease with which personal information was collected and potentially used against participants, combined with participants' higher susceptibility to targeted attacks, makes spear phishing a continuing threat. Crime prevention awareness combined with basic knowledge about spear phishing methods can reduce the risk of deception. Details: Canberra: Australian National University, Cybercrime Observatory, 2017. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed march 14, 2019 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3062331 Year: 2017 Country: Australia URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3062331 Shelf Number: 154958 Keywords: Computer Crime Cyber Security Cybercrime Phishing Social mediaSpam |
Author: Tiry, Emily Title: Social Media Guidebook for Law Enforcement Agencies Summary: Social media can be a valuable tool for law enforcement agencies to disseminate information to the public and gauge community sentiment regarding agency policies and practices. We conducted a survey of law enforcement agencies and collected Twitter data from survey respondents to examine how law enforcement agencies currently use social media. Drawing from these data sources, this guidebook describes the importance of communication for community engagement and public safety, presents data-driven recommendations, and provides step-by-step strategies for agencies that want to enhance their use of social media as a community policing tool. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2019. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 17, 2019 at: https://www.urban.org/research/publication/social-media-guidebook-law-enforcement-agencies Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/99786/social_media_guidebook_for_law_enforcement_agencies_0.pdf Shelf Number: 154988 Keywords: Community Policing Empirically-Led Data Law Enforcement Law Enforcement Policies Public Engagement Social Media |
Author: Katz, Adrienne Title: Vulnerable Children in a Digital World Summary: There can be no doubt of the significant change connected technology has had on the day to day lives of children and young people, and the pace at which the technology they are using develops is relentless. What is clear from our research is that the support networks around vulnerable children have not yet caught up with the reliance many of them have on their devices and the connectivity it brings them. Although it is readily accepted that some children and young people are more vulnerable than others we must now systematically and thoroughly consider the digital dimension in their lives to ensure we can better protect them from online risk. The Good Childhood Report shows that 18% of children live with seven or more serious problems, such as fear of crime, domestic violence and emotional neglect. One in five children do not have stability because of residential transience. More than a quarter live with a parent who has a mental health difficulty while almost 10% act as young carers for someone in their family. Children and young people may have physical, emotional or mental health problems of their own, including disabilities and special needs or speech and language difficulties. Increasing numbers of our young people have mental health difficulties, while others exhibit emotional distress. When adverse childhood experiences are acknowledged, it is evident that certain children require additional support. Despite these documented adversities, some vulnerable children remain hidden and neglected. The Children's Commissioner for England has raised awareness of many hidden groups and described the risks faced by vulnerable young people as 'the biggest social justice challenge of our time'. It is not surprising therefore that vulnerability should extend to digital life. Online, despite the advantages of technology, some children's vulnerabilities are exacerbated, and others are ill prepared for safe internet use. This briefing paper will highlight how some young people are vulnerable online in specific ways and suggest some solutions. Details: London: Internet Matters, 2019. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2019 at: https://pwxp5srs168nsac2n3fnjyaa-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Vulnerable-Children-in-a-Digital-World-FINAL.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://pwxp5srs168nsac2n3fnjyaa-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Vulnerable-Children-in-a-Digital-World-FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 155604 Keywords: Child ProtectionCyberbullyingInternetInternet SafetyOnline VictimizationSocial MediaVulnerable Children |
Author: Blanchard, Daphne N. Title: .Immigration and National Security: An Empirical Assessment of Central American Immigration and Violent Crime in the United States Summary: Executive Summary - The arrival of the October 2018 Central American caravan became a flashpoint in the immigration debate between human rights and national security. Thousands of migrants traveled in a caravan from Central America's Northern Triangle to the United States in October of 2018. President Trump called on Mexico to stop the influx, sent troops to the U.S.-Mexican border, and threatened to cut aid to the Central American country. While several hundred returned on Honduran-sponsored busses and roughly 2,000 people applied for asylum in southern Mexico, the group totaled 6,500 migrants when they arrived at the wall lining the San Ysidro-Tijuana border. Conflicts between the migrants, Mexican police, citizens of Tijuana and U.S. protesters made national headlines. Meanwhile, international aid groups offered makeshift housing, basic necessities, and legal representation for the asylum seekers. Immigration was central to the November mid-term election debates. - Central American immigration has risen significantly over the last few decades. Presently 3.4 million people born in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are living in the United States, more than double the estimated 1.5 million people in 2000, with half of them undocumented. In the time period between 2011 and 2017, the number of Northern Triangle immigrants rose approximately 400,000 which indicated a growth of 0.1 percent of the foreign-born population. The number of Northern Triangle migrant arrivals nearly quadrupled in 2014, with the arrival of approximately 131,000 migrants. El Salvador is the largest sending country from the region, with 1.4 million immigrants in the United States, a 112- fold increase since 1970. Guatemala is second with 815,000, followed by Honduras with 623,000. - The number of unaccompanied minors (also known as UACs) crossing the U.S.- Mexico border has dramatically increased since 2008. Between 2008 and the first eight months of 2014, the number of unaccompanied minors that crossed the U.S. southern border each year jumped from about 8,000 to 52,000, prompting the U.S. Congress to request further research and a hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations. The year 2014 was dubbed the Central America migration crisis due to the 90 percent increase in UACs between 2013 and 2014. The composition of the recent caravans that arrived in April and October of 2018 suggest that child and family migration from the Northern Triangle is an enduring phenomenon. - The root causes of the flows are pervasive violence and systematic persecution in the Northern Triangle region. El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are consistently ranked among the world's most violent countries not at war due to their exceptionally high rates of homicide, extortion, gang proliferation, narcotics trafficking, weak rule of law, and official corruption. Many migrants reported fleeing systematic persecution from authorities, pervasive violence from organized criminal organizations, and forced gang recruitment. - Northern Triangle migrants make up less than one percent of the U.S. population. To put the increases in immigrant population in perspective and understand the scope of Central American migration, it is important to note that in 2017 the Northern Triangle subset of immigrants constitute 0.9% of the share of overall population, of which by far the largest percentage is attributed to those with El Salvadoran origins. Asian foreign-born are the most prevalent with 4.3 percent of the share, which consists of Eastern, South Central, and South Eastern Asian immigrants. Those born in Mexico are second with 3.4 percent; while European and African foreign-born make up 1.2 and 0.7 percent respectively. - Public anxiety over Central American migrants stalls immigration reform. The tension at the U.S.-Mexico border due to Central American asylum seekers has reached a fever pitch, polarizing views on how to deal with ever increasing immigration. Although seven percent of Northern Triangle refugees were granted asylum the year after the 2014 surge in migration, compared to 24 percent of refugees from China, the continual flow of Central American migrants to the United States' southern border elicits anxiety, protests, and much public debate. As rhetoric from high-level politicians and news media make connections between violent crime and immigration, political parties' stances on immigration become more divergent -- leading to the inability to agree on comprehensive immigration reform. The difference in opinion between Democrats and Republicans has grown over time with 42 percent of Republicans, compared to 84 percent of Democrats, saying that immigrants strengthen the country, the largest partisan gap on openness to immigrants since 1994. Democrats triple the share of Republicans with the opinion that the nation has a responsibility to care for refugees. - The internet and social media have heightened the risk of mass manipulation and emotional decision-making in immigration policy. Although the Trump administration and news outlets of today are not the first to make a public connection between crime and immigration - the debate has been ongoing for decades - changes in media technology have exacerbated the issue. The internet and social media platforms have significantly increased the scope and reach of consumers at hyper speed without third-party filtering, fact-checking, or editorial judgement to add context to complex issues. This is evident in a Republican-sponsored political commercial that connected an undocumented Mexican cop-killer with the tagline: "Stop the caravan. Vote Republican." Although widely rejected by major television and news outlets on both sides of the aisle for being misleading, the ad was seen approximately 6.5 million times while featured atop Trump's Twitter page. Studies have shown how elite discourse shapes mass opinion and action on immigration policy without necessarily tying the rhetoric to empirical data of the actual threat posed by the group. - Studies show that as immigration levels have risen in the United States, overall violent crime rates have reduced. The relationship between immigration and crime in the United States has been studied at length by scholars whose findings convey a similar conclusion: that immigration does not increase crime and violence, in fact, in the first generation it seems to reduce it. Since 1970 to today, the share and number of immigrants in the United States have increased rapidly while violent crime has been trending in the opposite direction to a level below what it was in 1980. Even as the U.S. undocumented population doubled to 12 million between 1994 and 2005, the violent crime rate in the United States declined 34.2 percent. In addition, cities with large immigrant populations such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Miami also experienced declining crime rates during that period. - Evidence does not support the notion that increases in Central American immigrant populations lead to increases in violent crime rates. Although Northern Triangle immigration has surged over the past several years, the evidence does not support the claim that they are posing a U.S. national security threat. Not only did overall U.S. violent crime rates descend as Central American migration share rose; but the influx of these foreigners in 27 metro areas showed no correlation when compared to the violent crime rate changes of each one during 2012 to 2017. When compared to homicide rate changes, there is no correlation between the changes in the immigrant population from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras; in fact, the vast majority of cases demonstrate a reduction in crime. Not one of the 27 metros with high concentration of immigrants from that region is within the top ten of the most violent metros in the United States. The violence that Northern Triangle migrants are fleeing is not translating into more violence in American communities, as the public discourse seems to suggest. The Central American migration threat has been hyper-inflated in scope and potential for insecurity. - The scope of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang is narrow by comparison. According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), approximately ten thousand MS-13 members inhabit the United States, amounting to 0.3 percent of the overall U.S. population. By comparison, there are approximately 1.4 million gang members living in the United States that make up more than 33,000 gangs. Of the 45,400 UACs apprehended at the border in the five-year period of 2012 and 2017, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) apprehended 159 UACs with confirmed or suspected gang affiliations, 56 of which were suspected or confirmed to be affiliated with MS-13. The Cato Institute reports that 0.1 percent of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol arrests were MS-13 gang members at the border midyear in 2018, similar to the statistics from prior years. - The brutality of MS-13 has the potential to disrupt neighborhoods, but not the United States as a whole. The threat of the MS-13 gang is far smaller in scope and reach than high-profile dialogue suggests, and it is given disproportionate attention in the public discourse considering the levels of crime. Of the 1.2 million violent crime offenses committed in the United States between 2012 and 2017, 345 were committed by members of the MS-13 gang. Although spread throughout cities in the United States and a legitimate concern for the communities which they inhabit, the members of this murderous gang do not demonstrate an ability to disrupt the stability and security of the entire nation and show no sign of expansion. Containing the threat of this violent criminal organization is best left to local authorities with local solutions. This research does not advocate ceasing to address the root causes of MS-13 criminal activity, only to keep the risk in perspective to reduce the negative consequences of fear-based decision-making. - The conflating of MS-13 with all immigrants in public discourse is unfounded and problematic. Connecting all immigrants with the violent acts of the few stalls progress on immigration reform, influences public opinion and immigration policy decisions without data to support the level of threat, creates an atmosphere of conflict surrounding those requesting asylum and settling in American neighborhoods, and is counterproductive to keeping Americans safe. Anxiety-inducing messaging from elite levels slows productive, compromise-driven dialogue that is necessary for immigration reform and effective allocation of finite resources. Details: San Diego: Justice in Mexico, Department of Political Science & International Relations, University of San Diego, 2019. 40p. Source: Internet Resource:JUSTICE IN MEXICO WORKING PAPER SERIES Volume 16, Number 1: Accessed May 9, 2019 at: https://justiceinmexico.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/BLANCHARD_Immigration-and-National-Security.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://justiceinmexico.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/BLANCHARD_Immigration-and-National-Security.pdf Shelf Number: 155705 Keywords: Asylum SeekersGang ViolenceImmigrants and CrimeImmigration and CrimeImmigration PolicyMS-13 - Mara SalvatruchaNational SecurityNorthern TriangleSocial MediaUnaccompanied MinorsUndocumented MigrantsViolent Crime |
Author: International Centre for Missing & Exploited Chidlren Title: Studies in Child Protection: Technology-Facilitated Child Sex Trafficking Summary: Trafficking of children for sexual purposes, or child sex trafficking2, is defined internationally as: the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs. The Internet and related technologies are increasingly becoming the predominant mechanism by which children are lured, entrapped, and forced into modern-day enslavement for sexual purposes. While child sex trafficking is not a new crime, the use of technology to facilitate this crime is. As the Internet is highly unregulated and provides anonymity, accessibility, and global reach, the use of technology by traffickers will likely become even more prevalent. In general, traffickers are criminals "who enable or partake in the trade and exploitation of human beings." Online traffickers use information and communications technologies (ICTs) to seek out vulnerable children, recruit victims, and advertise/sell victims to offenders through social media, messaging applications, online ads, and peer-to-peer file sharing servers with the intent to exploit the victims for profit. Using the Internet and related technologies, traffickers may lure victims by posting false job advertisements, promising fame or money, expressing love or praise, or threatening harm or death to the victim and/or their family. Traffickers may use social media platforms to gain trust and build relationships by showing admiration or desire for the child, acting as a friend, and eventually employing tactics such as manipulation, coercion, and control to lure them away from their homes and loved ones. Child sex traffickers may be strangers, but they can also be family members, friends, guardians, or acquaintances.10 Nearly half of all identified cases of child trafficking begin with some family member involvement and the extent of family involvement in the trafficking of children is up to four times higher than in cases of adult trafficking. The high demand for children for sexual purposes has generated such high profits that many organized crime groups are turning away from other illicit activities to devote their resources to the trafficking of minors. Human trafficking appeals to criminal organizations as "it is becoming increasingly easy and inexpensive to procure, move and exploit vulnerable girls." Additionally, the relatively low risk of detection and prosecution of technology-facilitated child sex trafficking compared to the risk associated with traditional, "in-person" forms of trafficking makes online sex trafficking an attractive illegal activity in which to engage. One child can generate a profit of several thousand dollars a day for traffickers and can be abused and sold repeatedly, unlike other forms of illicit trade like drug trafficking. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that "globally, two-thirds of the profits from forced labour are generated by forced sexual exploitation, amounting to an estimated US$99 billion per year." Approximately 5.5 million children under the age of 18 are forced into labor, and it is estimated that more than one million are victims of forced sexual exploitation. With the growth of Internet usage, a child's risk of being targeted increases; technology has lowered the bar of entry to the criminal world, which has had an expansive effect on the growth of modern slavery. Our challenge is that technology is taking slavery into a darker corner of the world where law enforcement techniques and capabilities are not as strong as they are offline." Strategies to address technology-facilitated child sex trafficking must address the misuse of ICTs to facilitate it and harness the potential of ICTs to combat it The world has seen an increase in international, regional, and national laws addressing cybercrime and human trafficking; however, international law is silent on several key issues - namely, the use of ICTs to: 1) recruit child sex trafficking victims; 2) advertise the sexual services of these victims; and 3) provide or receive payments or benefits from the sexual exploitation of children. To address these legal gaps, ideally international legislation should be enacted to include: - A uniform definition of technology-facilitated child sex trafficking; - Statutes punishing the use of ICTs to recruit child victims, advertise their sexual services, and send and receive payments for sexual exploitation of children; and - Requisite punishment. The Internet has global reach, which fuels the need for international legal cooperation to develop more stringent, overt laws to protect children from technology-facilitated child sex trafficking. While vast research exists regarding child sex trafficking broadly, this paper specifically focuses on: how and why technology is increasingly used to recruit, advertise, and send/receive payments for child sex trafficking; examining available international and regional legal instruments; reviewing a sampling of relevant national legislation; presenting model legislative language for consideration; and discussing the role of the technology and financial industries to deter traffickers from misusing their platforms to sexually exploit children. The report is further intended to support and promote the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 16.220 on ending the abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children, and contribute to reaching the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by demonstrating our organizational commitment, helping raise awareness of the issues, and promoting the rule of law at the national and international levels. Additionally, the report contributes to the Implementation and Enforcement of Laws strategy, the first of the seven INSPIRE strategies developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), in particular core indicators 3.1 through 3.6 (i.e., laws and policies, awareness of laws, review of legal and policy framework)22; and helps to implement the WePROTECT Global Alliance to End Child Sexual Exploitation Online Model National Response (MNR) - specifically capabilities 2 (Research, Analysis and Monitoring) and 3 (Legislation) under Policy and Governance23. Details: Alexandria, VA: The Centre, 2018. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 10, 2019 at: https://www.icmec.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Technology-Facilitated-Child-Sex-Trafficking_final_11-30-18.pdf Year: 2018 Country: International URL: https://www.icmec.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Technology-Facilitated-Child-Sex-Trafficking_final_11-30-18.pdf Shelf Number: 155745 Keywords: Child GroomingChild PornographyChild ProstitutionChild ProtectionChild Sexual ExploitationChild TraffickingForced LaborModern SlaveryOnline Child Sexual AbuseRevenge PornographySextortionSocial Media |
Author: Coaffee, Jon Title: Enhancing Public Security through Use of Social Media: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Summary: This paper focuses upon the emerging findings of an ongoing Horizon 2020 project -MEDIat4SEC: The Emerging Role of New Social Media in Enhancing Public Security. Working actively with police forces across Europe, MEDIat4SEC is creating a future roadmap for the role of social media in law enforcement and public security planning, not only for communication purposes and as a listening platform, but also as a tool for collaboration a digital realm where policing and crime prevention can be done in new ways with new types of digital and real-world interventions. The ongoing results of MEDIat4SEC presented here illuminate a variety of police tasks are increasingly utilising social media. Such activities further highlight a series of challenges and opportunities for policing associated with organisational change, legal and ethical issues, privacy, transparency and liability, technological infrastructure and training required and budgetary concerns that are likely to shape the take up of social media usage in police forces around Europe in the coming years. Details: Budapest, Hungary: CEPOL (European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training), 2019. 14p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 30, 2019 at: https://bulletin.cepol.europa.eu/index.php/bulletin/article/view/350 Year: 0 Country: International URL: https://bulletin.cepol.europa.eu/index.php/bulletin/article/view/350/305 Shelf Number: 156095 Keywords: Law Enforcement Policing Public Security Security Planning Social Media |
Author: Theuri, Naomi Title: Gender and Contextual Perspective in Countering Violence Extremism (CVE): Examining Inclusion of Women and Contextual Factors in Online Approaches to CVE Summary: A holistic approach to Counter Violent Extremism (CVE) in the Internet Environment and Social Media is essential. This thesis focuses on gender and context consideration in online approaches to CVE through use of a literature review and samples of online counter-narrative campaigns. This has led to determination of the extent to which gender and context have been considered in online approaches to CVE and identifying what they mean for CVE online, while highlighting full participation of women in online approaches that are aimed at countering violent extremism as well as the critical role of contextual factors in online approaches to CVE. In addition, the thesis shows that more research is needed to fill the gaps identified. These gaps are the role of women in online CVE campaigns as well as contextual factors that are associated to violent extremism. More so, online narratives should be all rounded since this study found that CVE narratives have failed to identify a predictable psychosocial trajectory to explain de-radicalization processes that are crucial to disengage radicals. Details: Malmo, Sweden: Malmo University, Faculty of Health and Society, Department of Criminology, 2017. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 14, 2019 at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0a05/c23ec145adcf726dabd717005f270d1b32e6.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0a05/c23ec145adcf726dabd717005f270d1b32e6.pdf Shelf Number: 156422 Keywords: Counter-terrorism Extremists Radical Groups Radicalization Social MediaTerrorism Violent Extremism |
Author: Phippen, Andy Title: Young People, Internet Use and Wellbeing; A Report Series What Causes Upset Online Summary: This report, the second in a series related to the relationship between digital technology and young people's wellbeing, draws from a survey sample of 8,223 young people from year 4 to year 13 across over 100 schools in the UK. The focus of this report is 'What Causes Upset Online', as disclosed by our survey respondents. Key findings from this analysis centre on what "upset" means for children and young people going online and challenges our strategies to protect them from this upset. While prohibitive strategies might work with specific content types, and this has been the focus of much policy effort (for example prevention from access to pornography), in reality what causes upset is broad, and prohibition from some kinds of content we are told cause upset would significantly impact children's rights to access relevant educational material and information that will help their development. What causes upset online is broad and variable depending upon both gender and age of respondents. In general, upset is most commonly caused by: 1. Abusive comments from peers and others they interact with online 2. Stories in the news and media that can be upsetting (for example, terrorist incidents, child suffering, and natural disasters) 3. Animal abuse - videos that show animal cruelty, images of harm to animals, upsetting stories related to animals, etc. 4. Upsetting content, such as shocking videos produced by YouTubers, content showing people being hurt, acts of self-harm, etc. Younger children are more likely to be affected by things such as: 1. Swearing 2. Abuse from peers; Older children are more likely to be affected by content such as: 1. News and media 2. Animal abuse 3. The behaviour of peers. What is clear from these findings is that we need to develop critical thinking and digital literacy that goes beyond whether content is "good" or "bad" and explore how it makes people feel and how we might counteract how upset is caused. We need to move beyond "online safety" to better understand how we develop resilience in young people so they can deal with what they see and do online, rather than hoping they avoid it completely. Details: Exeter, United Kingdom: South West Grid for Learning Trust, 2018. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 17, 2019 at: https://swgfl.org.uk/research/what-causes-upset-online/ Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://swgfl.org.uk/assets/documents/what-causes-upset-online.pdf Shelf Number: 156369 Keywords: Digital Literacy Internet Juvenile Justice Juveniles Online Bullying Social Media |
Author: Asongu, Simplice Title: Terrorism and Social Media: Global Evidence Summary: The study assesses the relationship between terrorism and social media from a cross section of 148 countries with data for the year 2012. The empirical evidence is based on Ordinary Least Squares, Negative Binomial and Quantile regressions. The main finding is that there is a positive relationship between social media in terms of Facebook penetration and terrorism. The positive relationship is driven by below-median quantiles of terrorism. In other words, countries in which existing levels of terrorism are low are more significantly associated with a positive Facebook-terrorism nexus. The established positive relationship is confirmed from other externalities of terrorism: terrorism fatalities, terrorism incidents, terrorism injuries and terrorism-related property damages. The terrorism externalities are constituents of the composite dependent variable. Details: Yaounde, Cameroon; African Governance and Development Institute, 2019. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: AGDI Working Paper no. 19/026: Accessed June 26, 2019 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3393855 Year: 2019 Country: International URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3393855 Shelf Number: 156697 Keywords: Social MediaTerrorism |
Author: Polanitzer, Alona Title: Using Social Media for Social Change: A Case Study of a Digitally-based Awareness Campaign about the Israeli Prostitution Industry When He Pays/Me Summary: The rise of social media platforms have not only allowed new opportunities for more citizen-driven initiatives, but also social change promotion in a potentially more participatory-oriented way that offers engagement with the general public and the people the change is aimed at. This has led to an increased scholarly interest in the role of these technologies in strategically promoted social change activist initiatives. However, while the focus has been lying on their use by local groups and social movements for mobilisation, there has been little focus on their use for awareness raising and through participatory communication. Therefore, through a case study of an on-going, digitally-based When He Pays/Me campaign that raises awareness about the Israeli prostitution industry as part of a human rights context by an activist, this thesis investigates the potential role of social media platforms to enable participation, specifically Facebook, in Israeli human rights awareness campaigns. The data used to investigate this included one semi-structured, in-depth interview with the activist and 22 online media texts about the campaign. The analysis revealed that there has been an innovative use of tactics in the campaign through the extensive use of PC's principles that are based on two-way (dialogic) communication in the form of free, open, transparent, inclusive dialogues with various groups of people, creativity, flexibility, learning, reflexivity, and critical thinking. Dialogues take place on Facebook's various spaces, and additional communication mediums and channels are used. Moreover, a new kind of story-telling that reveals the complexities and nuances of the industry was used. It was then concluded that the potential of social media platforms, namely Facebook, as a tool to enable participation in Israeli awareness-raising human rights campaigns is the combination of the platform's popularity and its unique combination of affordances in the form of cause - Pages provided to social campaigns that include a space for dialogue, complex messaging, and anonymity. However, to fulfil this potential, the use of PC's principles must be applied. Details: Malmo, Sweden: Malmo University, 2018. 58p. Source: Internet Resource Master's Thesis: Accessed June 27, 2019 at: https://muep.mau.se/bitstream/handle/2043/26719/Polanitzer-A-DP18V2.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2018 Country: Israel URL: https://muep.mau.se/bitstream/handle/2043/26719/Polanitzer-A-DP18V2.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Shelf Number: 156588 Keywords: Awareness Campaigns Digital Activism Facebook Human Rights Israel Prostitution Sex Worker Social Media |
Author: Denef, Sebastian Title: Worldwide Mapping of Best Practices and Lessons Learnt Summary: This report summarizes best practices and lessons learned for social media use in public security. The goal of this report is to create an inventory of best practices, lessons learned, and roles and responsibilities, to analyse specifically how social media is being used by police and other public security planners, within and outside Europe. By providing an overall description, we aim to spark discussions and provide a common language for social media use in the field of public security planning. Using data from academic literature review, the review of blogs, books, existing best practice descriptions and expert knowledge this report compares social media practices. Inspired by Christopher Alexander's work on 'pattern languages' for urban spaces and buildings, we analysed the data and looked for patterns. To further refine our findings, we presented the practice patterns to social media and security experts and interviewed them about their perspective and current practices. As a result, we identified 69 practice patterns that describe and structure the use of social media for public security (Figure 1). The patterns are structured in three groups, describing how (1) law enforcement agencies (LEAs), such as the police, (2) citizens and (3) criminals, are using social media and impact public security. With 49 patterns, the focus of this work is on group (1), the social media use of LEAs. Each pattern has a unique name (written in capital letters) and describes a solution to a recurring problem or context. Following an image and a very concise summary of the pattern, this deliverable provides links to online resources that detail the given practices. The patterns have been designed to be printed and shared as an input for workshops and strategic discussions of practitioners and public security planners. Patterns link to other patterns and thereby form groups. The main groups for LEAs are the use of social media for INTELLIGENCE, ENFORCING THE LAW, CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS and ENGAGEMENT & COMMUNICATION. Additionally, we describe a range of SOCIAL MEDIA FOUNDATION practices that allow organisations to prepare themselves and sustain the use of social media. Reflecting on this work, we show that typically LEAs start their social media efforts by implementing the INFORMING CITIZENS pattern, which has become a quasi standard. LEAs widely acknowledge the benefits of using social media for ENFORCING THE LAW, especially in crisis situations. With regards to SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING and CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS the scope and technological depths of adaptation varies. While already common practice in selected countries, such as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, a more interactive COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, typically points to more experience in using social media, as it requires organizational change that empowers local officers to publicly post and interact digitally with citizens. Other practices such as ONLINE PATROL are still in its infancy and require LEAs to establish a visible presence in online spaces. While selected patterns are widely used and feature many examples, other practices have only been applied in selected contexts and are at an experimental stage. We thus do not consider this work a static theory. Instead, we understand our report as a snapshot of current practices that will and should evolve. Beyond this deliverable, we are currently looking into providing a version of the patterns online, to allows for that evolution to happen. Discussing our results with practitioners showed that our descriptions cover their current practices. It also revealed the need for future research to provide more insights into the how, beyond social media, organizations can innovate and cope with the increasing speed of technological innovation. As we detail in the end of the report, this practice report is a compilation showing the great potential of social media for public security. It should not be confused with a report on the state of current state of social adaptation. Indeed, our work indicates that adoption greatly varies and most LEAs have yet to define their role and responsibilities in digitised societies. Details: S.L.: MEDIa4SEC, 2019. 161p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 3, 2019 at: http://media4sec.eu/downloads/d1-2.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Europe URL: http://media4sec.eu/publications/ Shelf Number: 158116 Keywords: Community Engagement Intelligence Law Enforcement Social Media |