For a majority of people, information technology and the Internet are a part of daily life. However, wherever people do business and manage their personal matters, there exist opportunities and motives for criminal activity.
A recent report published by Police University College, Cybercrime, Law and Technology in Finland and Beyond , discusses how in addition to crimes such as security breaches, information technology can be used criminal activities ranging from fraud, forgery and other financial crime to illegal threats, defamation and other violations of privacy. Authored by experts in criminal and intellectual property law, the research report presents an overview of the essential elements of offences and general prerequisites for criminal liability to be applied for cybercrimes. The report’s articles focus on topics such as cyber fraud and the infringement of intellectual property rights by means of information technology.
The research report also discusses the transboundary nature of cybercrime. Indeed, the successful prevention, detection and investigation of cybercrimes require close international police cooperation. The authors also explore the future by discussing the relationship between the law and technology and the ways by which technology might force evolution in the judicial system. Rejection of technology is not a solution to legal problems; instead, even the most fundamental premises of legal thinking may call for changes.
The report Cybercrime, Law and Technology in Finland and Beyond is intended as a discussion starter, both among researchers and practical operators in the field. The articles are mostly limited in their scope to issues of legal interpretation that arise in daily legal practice. It has also been the authors’ aim to provide new research avenues and ideas for the continuously evolving field of legal research on cybercrime.
The report is available in full on the Police University College website at polamk.fi/julkaisut .
Publication details: Giulio Calcara, Peter Sund & Matti Tolvanen Cybercrime: Law and Technology in Finland and Beyond. Police University College reports 133. Tampere 2019.
