Illegal+Use+of+the+Internet

__ Illegal Use of the Internet __

__Computer Crime__ Computer Crime is any crime using a network or a computer. The computer can be used in the crime, or may be the target of it. These crimes have become more complicated over time, involving hacking and copyright infringement. Activities have grown worse with espionage and cyber warfare, causing trouble. Legal systems are trying to address this problem, one of them being the International Crime Court.

Computer crime might not seem serious, but it can involve scams and loss of information and privacy. Here are some of different kinds of computer crimes.

__ The Many Computer Crimes __ There are many different types of computer crimes that do many different things. Spam, for instance, is sending large amounts of emails for commercial intent, and is unlawful to some degree. Fraud is misinterpretation of identity which makes someone do something that causes them to lose something. This might be done by sending fake e=mails to find personal information, and then take on the person's identity. Then money can be withdrawn from the victim's bank account. These are different computer crimes that may not seem extremely serious, but if the situation gets really out of hand, it might. There is also crime like putting obscene and offensive material online, which can be punished. Harassment is another crime that is directing bad and hurtful things towards someone. These crimes don't do anything gigantic, but it has content that can be hurtful and offensive. Drug trafficking is another crime that uses the internet to sell drugs. Cyberterrorism is an act of terrorism on the internet. If someone said a bomb was going to go off somehwere at a certain time, that would be cyber terrorism.

There are many crimes out there that are a large threat to younger people, like cyberstalking. This is when someone learns very much about a victim's schedule, hobbies, and other things. This can lead to sexual assault, which is a large concern for teenagers. There are many crimes out there that may try to scam you, and they all should be reported immediately.

__ Crimes and __﻿ __ Punishments __

Attacks can be for many different reasons, and many computer crimes have been attempted. On March 26, 1999, a virus called the Melissa worm infected a document on someone’s computer, and automatically sent that to others with e-mail. Another incident was on 3 August 2000, when MafiaBoy was prosecuted by Canada for attacks and illegal access. Also, One day, hackers got into 200,000 servers and attacked the white house with them. It was taken care of, but things like that caused the government to be more careful of cyber criminals.

Punishments can be very severe because cyber crimes are very serious and can cause large amounts of damage. Accessing a computer system can give you up to five years of jail. Modifying on a computer range can get you up to ten years. Communications intercept, when you intercept an official conversation illegaly, can get you up to 5 years. Hacking a computer can get you 3 years or a fine. Ultimately, penalities depend where and the circumstances.

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