Alejandro Nicolás-Sánchez, Francisco J. Castro-Toledo
{"title":"Uncovering the social impact of digital steganalysis tools applied to cybercrime investigations: a European Union perspective","authors":"Alejandro Nicolás-Sánchez, Francisco J. Castro-Toledo","doi":"10.1186/s40163-024-00209-7","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Background</h3><p>European Union (EU) research on cybersecurity is actively developing more efficient digital steganalysis techniques aimed at uncovering hidden online illegal content in apparently legitimate multimedia files. Beyond issues such as the design, effectiveness and functionality of the technology, this paper addresses the recently raised concern of societal impact, which refers to the influence, consequences, or effects, whether expected or not, that a particular action, policy, or technological advance has on society as a whole or on different segments of society. These impacts can be broad and multifaceted, encompassing economic, social, cultural, environmental and ethical dimensions, amongst others.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Aim</h3><p>The aim of this article is to take an exploratory look at the societal challenges and benefits associated with the use of digital steganalysis tools in cybercrime investigations in EU member states, adopting a dual mixed-methods perspective.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>First, a systematic review of the scientific literature published within 2017–2023, focusing on the societal dimension of steganalysis tools, including peer reviewed journal and conference papers on steganalysis and crime (<i>N</i> = 55) was carried out. For the second part of the paper, two nominal group discussions were conducted with experts from Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs): the first on societal benefits (<i>N</i> = 7), the second on societal challenges (<i>N</i> = 6). These consensus-building discussions aimed to identify, quantitatively assess and rank the various challenges and potential social benefits associated with the use of digital steganalysis tools in police investigations.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>Findings reveal a widespread oversight in addressing the social impact dimension by tool designers on academic papers, especially regarding societal acceptance issues. The expert-citizens argued for stakeholders and public awareness of both risks and benefits of steganalysis tools.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusions</h3><p>This study highlights the current need to consider not only the technological aspects, but also the profound social dimension arising from the use of these tools, such as public awareness of cybercrime and the ethical design and use of digital crime investigation tools. Understanding and evaluating societal impacts is essential for making informed decisions, shaping policies, and addressing the needs and concerns of diverse stakeholders in various domains. This multidisciplinary approach is crucial to achieving a more balanced and comprehensive understanding of the impact of digital steganalysis tools in the field of digital criminal investigation.</p>","PeriodicalId":37844,"journal":{"name":"Crime Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Crime Science","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-024-00209-7","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
European Union (EU) research on cybersecurity is actively developing more efficient digital steganalysis techniques aimed at uncovering hidden online illegal content in apparently legitimate multimedia files. Beyond issues such as the design, effectiveness and functionality of the technology, this paper addresses the recently raised concern of societal impact, which refers to the influence, consequences, or effects, whether expected or not, that a particular action, policy, or technological advance has on society as a whole or on different segments of society. These impacts can be broad and multifaceted, encompassing economic, social, cultural, environmental and ethical dimensions, amongst others.
Aim
The aim of this article is to take an exploratory look at the societal challenges and benefits associated with the use of digital steganalysis tools in cybercrime investigations in EU member states, adopting a dual mixed-methods perspective.
Methods
First, a systematic review of the scientific literature published within 2017–2023, focusing on the societal dimension of steganalysis tools, including peer reviewed journal and conference papers on steganalysis and crime (N = 55) was carried out. For the second part of the paper, two nominal group discussions were conducted with experts from Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs): the first on societal benefits (N = 7), the second on societal challenges (N = 6). These consensus-building discussions aimed to identify, quantitatively assess and rank the various challenges and potential social benefits associated with the use of digital steganalysis tools in police investigations.
Results
Findings reveal a widespread oversight in addressing the social impact dimension by tool designers on academic papers, especially regarding societal acceptance issues. The expert-citizens argued for stakeholders and public awareness of both risks and benefits of steganalysis tools.
Conclusions
This study highlights the current need to consider not only the technological aspects, but also the profound social dimension arising from the use of these tools, such as public awareness of cybercrime and the ethical design and use of digital crime investigation tools. Understanding and evaluating societal impacts is essential for making informed decisions, shaping policies, and addressing the needs and concerns of diverse stakeholders in various domains. This multidisciplinary approach is crucial to achieving a more balanced and comprehensive understanding of the impact of digital steganalysis tools in the field of digital criminal investigation.
期刊介绍:
Crime Science is an international, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal with an applied focus. The journal''s main focus is on research articles and systematic reviews that reflect the growing cooperation among a variety of fields, including environmental criminology, economics, engineering, geography, public health, psychology, statistics and urban planning, on improving the detection, prevention and understanding of crime and disorder. Crime Science will publish theoretical articles that are relevant to the field, for example, approaches that integrate theories from different disciplines. The goal of the journal is to broaden the scientific base for the understanding, analysis and control of crime and disorder. It is aimed at researchers, practitioners and policy-makers with an interest in crime reduction. It will also publish short contributions on timely topics including crime patterns, technological advances for detection and prevention, and analytical techniques, and on the crime reduction applications of research from a wide range of fields. Crime Science publishes research articles, systematic reviews, short contributions and theoretical articles. While Crime Science uses the APA reference style, the journal welcomes submissions using alternative reference styles on a case-by-case basis.