How To Catch a Predator.

Pt.2 Cybercrime

'Cyber obscenity' is the most difficult to measure of Hall’s four fold categorisation of computer crime (1999, in tb). It refers to the production and trading of sexually explicit material, essentially of concern, in the form of paedophilia. Internet paedophilia can be displayed on one of two levels; firstly information through sharing and swapping of child pornography, or access information about individual children, and secondly taking part in paedophilic activities such as viewing illicit material, and more disturbing grooming children (Marsh & Melville, 2009). “The rich diversity in thresholds of tolerance around the world, combined with the global reach of telecommunications, make the control of offensive content a particularly difficult regulatory challenge” (Smith & Grabosky, 2006, in tb).

Younger generations need to realise the world wide web is filled with sexual e-predators like Zimmerman, this is illustrated and somewhat played upon in NBC's Dateline "To Catch A Predator" with Chris Hansen. This reality television show features a series of hidden camera investigations to identify and detain those who seek out children under the age of consent on the internet for sexual liaisons. These predators are lured via chat rooms to meet with a decoy under the pretence of sexual contact as can be seen in this short video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnyXHkWJJXI

The Dateline team produced this show based upon an undercover sting operation by Perverted Justice, who describe themselves as "the largest and best anti-predator organisation online." They have performed sting after sting in various locations, with the help of Dateline and law enforcement agencies. Here are just a few of the results:

Riverside, California: 51 predators in three days.
Laguna Beach, California: 13 predators in a mere 11 hours.
Darke County, Ohio: 17 predators in three days.
Fort Myers, Florida: 24 predators in three days.
Harris County, Georgia: 20 predators in four days.
Petaluma, California: 29 predators in three days.
Long Beach, California: 38 predators in three days
Flagler Beach, Florida: 24 predators in three days
Ocean County, New Jersey: 29 predators in three days.

To date, the number of predators convicted due to Perverted-Justice.com since June 2004 is 514!




References


Barker, G. (2010, July 15). Cybercrime in your Facebook. Retrieved October 1, 2010: http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/cybercrime-in-your-facebook-20100715-10bvo.html

Marsh, I. & Melville, G. (2009) Crime Justice and The Media. Routledge: New York.

O'Rourke, J. (2010, October 3). Facebook 'frenemies' most likely to hurt kids. The Sun-Herald.