Crime Science最新文献

{"title":"The risk of negative feedback loops in some weighted measures of crime harm","authors":"Sam Lewis, Jose Pina-Sánchez, Daniel Birks","doi":"10.1186/s40163-024-00216-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-024-00216-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Analyses of crime based upon aggregate counts of different crime types have restricted value, because they count all crime types equally irrespective of the harm caused. In response to this problem, a series of weighted measures of crime harm have been proposed. In this short contribution, we contend that the use of some crime harm metrics to inform police deployment practices has the potential to reinforce ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system through the creation of unintended negative feedback loops. We focus our analysis on the Cambridge Crime Harm Index and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Crime Severity Score, the preeminent crime harm indexes in England and Wales. We conclude that the ONS Crime Severity Score, which is based on mean sentencing outcomes, <i>does</i> give cause for concern in some contexts. There is currently no evidence that the Cambridge Crime Harm Index, based on sentencing guidelines, presents the same problems.</p>","PeriodicalId":37844,"journal":{"name":"Crime Science","volume":"2015 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141502152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Conti Inc.: understanding the internal discussions of a large ransomware-as-a-service operator with machine learning","authors":"Estelle Ruellan, Masarah Paquet-Clouston, Sebastián Garcia","doi":"10.1186/s40163-024-00212-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-024-00212-y","url":null,"abstract":"Ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) is increasing the scale and complexity of ransomware attacks. Understanding the internal operations behind RaaS has been a challenge due to the illegality of such activities. The recent chat leak of the Conti RaaS operator, one of the most infamous ransomware operators on the international scene, offers a key opportunity to better understand the inner workings of such organizations. This paper analyzes the main discussion topics in the Conti chat leak using machine learning techniques such as Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), as well as visualization strategies. Five discussion topics are found: (1) Business, (2) Technical, (3) Internal tasking/Management, (4) Malware, and (5) Customer Service/Problem Solving. Moreover, the distribution of topics among Conti members shows that only 4% of individuals have specialized discussions while almost all individuals (96%) are all-rounders, meaning that their discussions revolve around the five topics. The results also indicate that a significant proportion of Conti discussions are non-tech related. This study thus highlights that running such large RaaS operations requires a workforce skilled beyond technical abilities, with individuals involved in various tasks, from management to customer service or problem solving. The discussion topics also show that the organization behind the Conti RaaS operator shares similarities with a large firm. We conclude that, although RaaS represents an example of specialization in the cybercrime industry, only a few members are specialized in one topic, while the rest runs and coordinates the RaaS operation.","PeriodicalId":37844,"journal":{"name":"Crime Science","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141502153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Positive behaviour interventions in online gaming: a systematic review of strategies applied in other environments","authors":"Tiago Garrido Marques, Sandy Schumann, Enrico Mariconti","doi":"10.1186/s40163-024-00208-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-024-00208-8","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Background</h3><p>Disruptive behaviours are a recurrent concern in online gaming and are usually dealt with through reactive and punitive strategies. However, in health and educational settings, workplaces, and the context of interpersonal relationships, positive behaviour interventions have been implemented as well. This systematic review assessed the use of positive behaviour strategies as well as their effectiveness in a range of environments to suggest routes for transferring such interventions to (multiplayer) online gaming.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>We included 22 records in the review and examined (a) the targeted individuals/groups, (b) the specific disruptive behaviour problems that were addressed, (c) the nature of the positive behaviour strategy intervention, and (d) its effectiveness.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>Findings showed that the most common interventions that have been investigated thus far are the promotion of active bystander intervention, the good behaviour game, and tootling/positive peer reporting. These sought to prevent or reduce aggressive behaviour, negative peer interaction, name-calling, cyberbullying, and hate speech. The identified interventions differed in their effectiveness; however, all demonstrated some degree of positive impact.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusions</h3><p>Considering similarities and differences between online and offline settings, we propose that tootling and the good behaviour game are most suitable to be applied to (multiplayer) online gaming.</p>","PeriodicalId":37844,"journal":{"name":"Crime Science","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141196834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"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":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-024-00209-7","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":"96 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140929493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Public perceptions of courts and cooperation with police","authors":"Rylan Simpson, Laceé N. Pappas","doi":"10.1186/s40163-024-00207-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-024-00207-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The police depend upon public cooperation to effectively control crime. Understanding factors that impact people’s willingness to cooperate with the police is thus an important area of empirical research. Drawing upon survey data from a sample of adults <i>(N</i> = 364), we employ a series of regression models to explore the relationship between participants’ perceptions of courts and their willingness to cooperate with the police. Our analyses reveal that participants’ perceptions of courts are associated with their willingness to report crime to the police, particularly minor crime, but not their willingness to assist the police if asked. We discuss our results with respect to discretionary crime reporting, the measurement of cooperation with police, and the nature of interventions aimed at enhancing criminal justice perceptions.</p>","PeriodicalId":37844,"journal":{"name":"Crime Science","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140590271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crime script analysis of the illegal sales of spiny-tailed lizards on YouTube","authors":"Ulhas Gondhali, Antonia Merzon, Thanaphon Nunphong, Tzu-Ying Lo, Yu-Hsuan Liu, Gohar A. Petrossian","doi":"10.1186/s40163-024-00206-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-024-00206-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The oil derived from the spiny-tailed lizards (STLs) is illegally sold as an alternative medicinal aphrodisiac that is claimed to cure male sexual dysfunction in addition to other bodily ailments. The high demand generated from this illegal trade is rapidly depleting the species from its natural habitat. The goal of this research is to uncover the process of cyber-enabled illegal trade in STLs. To achieve this goal, this research uses data from a total of 127 videos and 4608 comments associated with these videos and the crime script analysis technique to outline and detail the steps taken to poach, prepare, and sell oil derived from spiny-tailed lizards (STL) and other protected wild animals on YouTube. The results indicate that sellers, operating primarily from Pakistan, employ a variety of techniques to attract buyers, such as preparing the oil by dissecting alive STL while being captured in the video to show the authenticity of the product. In addition to YouTube, sellers use other social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X, to communicate with potential buyers and to advertise their products. These products are shipped around the world using international courier services, such as DHL and TCS, with primary markets in South Asia and the Middle East. The sellers accept money transactions from Western Union, MoneyGram, and PayPal. They also seem to operate without any major restrictions from local authorities or host social media platforms. Based on these findings, this research proposed various recommendations for policy and practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":37844,"journal":{"name":"Crime Science","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140590242","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Post-pandemic crime trends in England and Wales","authors":"Hulya Seyidoglu, Graham Farrell, Anthony Dixon, Jose Pina-Sánchez, Nick Malleson","doi":"10.1186/s40163-024-00201-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-024-00201-1","url":null,"abstract":"This study of recorded crime trends in England & Wales spans three and a half years, that is, two covid pandemic years from March 2020 and 18 ‘post-pandemic’ months following cessation of covid restrictions. Observed crime rates were compared to expected (based on 5-year ARIMA models) and the ambient population (using Community Mobility Reports). It finds that, In Year 1, observed rates diverged dramatically from expected, waxing and waning generally in line with the movement restrictions of three national lockdowns. In Year 2, movement restrictions loosened and observed crime rates moved towards but mostly remained far from expected. In post-pandemic Year 3, people’s movement increased and observed crime rates continued towards expected. By mid-Year 4 many rates remained below expected levels, their mean monthly differences including: theft from person (− 22%); burglary (− 20%); vehicle crime (− 29%); violence & sexual offences (− 27%); robbery (− 16%) and; public order offences (− 21%). An exceptional increase in shoplifting achieved 20% above expected rates by August 2023. Methodological limitations and further research on shoplifting and other issues are discussed. The main conclusion is that crime trends generally followed ambient population movement and that enduring lifestyle changes in the post-pandemic period, notably increased work-from-home, account for continuing below-expected rates of many crime types.","PeriodicalId":37844,"journal":{"name":"Crime Science","volume":"63 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140038017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gender differences in online abuse: the case of Dutch politicians","authors":"Isabelle van der Vegt","doi":"10.1186/s40163-024-00203-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-024-00203-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Online abuse and threats towards politicians have become a significant concern in the Netherlands, like in many other countries across the world. This paper analyses gender differences in abuse received by Dutch politicians on X (formerly Twitter), while taking into account the possible additional impact of ethnic minority status. All tweets directed at party leaders throughout the entire year of 2022 were collected. The effect of gender and ethnic minority status were estimated for six different linguistic measures of abuse, namely, toxicity, severe toxicity, identity attacks, profanity, insults, and threats. Contrary to expectations, tweets directed at male politicians scored higher on all forms of abuse. Significant interaction effects between gender and ethnic minority status were found for a number of abuse measures. Tweets directed at ethnic minority female politicians scored higher on severe toxicity, identity attacks, and profanity, compared to those directed at ethnic majority female politicians. Importantly, female ethnic minority politicians received the highest levels of threats compared to all groups. Given that online abuse and threats are reported to have a negative effect on political participation and retention, these results are particularly worrying.</p>","PeriodicalId":37844,"journal":{"name":"Crime Science","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139980396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Online hate speech victimization: consequences for victims’ feelings of insecurity","authors":"Arne Dreißigacker, Philipp Müller, Anna Isenhardt, Jonas Schemmel","doi":"10.1186/s40163-024-00204-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-024-00204-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This paper addresses the question whether and to what extent the experience of online hate speech affects victims’ sense of security. Studies on hate crime in general show that such crimes are associated with a significantly higher feeling of insecurity, but there is little evidence concerning feeling of insecurity due to online hate speech. Based on a secondary data analysis of a representative population survey in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the topic of cybercrime in 2020 (N = 4,102), we tested three hypotheses regarding the effect of offline and online hate speech on feelings of insecurity. As a result, compared to non-victims, victims of online hate speech exhibit a more pronounced feeling of insecurity outside the Internet, while victims of other forms of cybercrime do not differ in this regard from non-victims. We found no effect for offline hate speech when relevant control variables were included in the statistical model. Possible reasons for this finding are assumed to lie in the characteristics of the phenomenon of online hate speech, for example, because the hateful content spreads uncontrollably on the Internet and reaches its victims even in protected private spheres.</p>","PeriodicalId":37844,"journal":{"name":"Crime Science","volume":"2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139762308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identity fraud victimization: a critical review of the literature of the past two decades","authors":"Yasemin Irvin-Erickson","doi":"10.1186/s40163-024-00202-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-024-00202-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study aims to provide an understanding of the nature, extent, and quality of the research evidence on identity fraud victimization in the US. Specifically, this article reviews, summarizes, and comments on the state of empirical research of identity fraud victimization in the US based on a narrative review of 52 published empirical studies. Studies included in this review suggest that the prevalence of identity fraud in the US has increased over the years and existing account frauds is the most prevalent type of identity fraud. There is a pressing need for more research on the prevalence of identity fraud victimization among minors, institutionalized individuals, and individuals from minority groups; long-term prevalence of identity fraud victimization; and emerging forms of identity fraud such as synthetic identity fraud victimization. Studies included in this review further suggest that identity fraud risk factors vary based on the fraud type considered. Identity fraud victims can experience a variety of harms. Longitudinal studies following identity fraud victims are essential for reliably estimating the risk factors for identity fraud victimization and the impact of identity fraud victimization on individual victims. The research on services for identity fraud victims is limited and suggests the positive impact of trauma-informed services for serious identity fraud victims. The overwhelming lack of research on the impact of programs and services for identity fraud victims necessitates more attention from scholars to study the impact of programs, interventions, and services for identity fraud victims on reporting of victimization, prevention of victimization, experiences of victims, and victim-centered cost benefit analysis of services. Policy and practice implications of these findings are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":37844,"journal":{"name":"Crime Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139762294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}