Modern Technology Has Brought the Resurgence of Identity Theft Essay Example for Free

Modern Technology Has Brought the Resurgence of Identity Theft Essay Identity theft is one crime that has spawned from technological advancements. Criminals have developed numerous strategies on how to steal confidential and personal information. Dealing with identity theft may be a challenge since law enforcement personnel may not be fully competent in handling the cases since they may lack the required skills to be able to deal with such a crime while private people and even businesses have lost much because of this type of crime. The number of cases of identity theft has been constantly on the rise; however, the prevalence of the crime may as well be blamed on modern technology itself. Modern technology has brought about many conveniences for ordinary people and even for identity thieves. From only less than 10,000 reported cases of identity theft in 1999, the figure steadily climbed reaching around 50,000 in 2003 and more than 80,000 in 2006 (Infocycle, 2007). In the United Kingdom, credit card fraud has also been consistently increasing. In 2007, over 7,000 credit cards and debit cards were either lost or stolen. CPP Card Protection has indicated a 77 percent increase in credit card fraud compared to the figure on 2006 (Experian QAS, 2008). According to a study by Gartner, identity theft claimed 15 million victims in 2006 alone. The US Justice Department has recorded 226 cases of identity theft in 2005 but in the first half of 2006 alone, there were already 432 cases. The FBI also indicated that it is working on 1,587 cases relating to identity theft (ITRC, 2007). Preventing identity theft may not be as easy as it seems. Joel Reidenberg and Lawrence Lessig said concentrating on the â€Å"architectures of control† to prevent identity theft is the way to go. Solove, on the other hand, indicates that â€Å"architectures of vulnerability† should also be considered in addition to â€Å"architectures of control†. According to Solove, shaping architectures should be the focal point in the protection of privacy and not on remedies and penalties. He noted that architectures often provide a vulnerable point that identity thieves take advantage of. It is this lack of security that identity thieves are able to use a person’s personal information. He suggests that a public identification system be created as a solution to the problem (Solove, 2003). It is exactly new technology that produces these architectures and they are greatly flawed since many people can still bypass its security functions evidenced by the prevalence of identity theft on the Internet. Identity theft has gained much notoriety in the advent of buying and selling on the Internet. However, identity thieves can still use the old methods for obtaining personal information. Common methods are stealing wallets or mails, looking through residential trashcans or business dumpsters, posing as someone legally permitted to access personal information such as credit reports, or bribing their way to get the information (Newman, et. al. 2005). A phishing scam is another method of getting personal information out of a person. The Anti-Phishing Workgroup indicated that there are only 4,564 phishing websites in July 2005 but the number increased to 23,670 as of July 2006. A study at the University of Indiana also indicated that 14 percent of phishing scams are successful which contradicts the Gartner report which indicates only a three percent success rate. The Gartner research also found out that financial losses from phishing scams were $137 million in 2004 rising to $2. 8 billion in 2006 (ITRC, 2007). The fight against identity theft may be considered rather ineffective since law enforcement personnel lack the necessary resources to combat such a crime which is computer-related. Britz indicates that this kind of crime requires law enforcers to have knowledge of computers and other digital stuff. It may be noted that many law enforcement agencies do not have well-trained personnel to handle such cases. These personnel may also be acting several capacities at a given time. Computer technology has increased at an exponential rate as did technology related crime and this would require that law enforcers be trained to effectively handle such crimes (Britz, 2004). As technology improves, security is being compromised and this can be proven by the increasing number of identity theft crimes. While it is true that online banking and other services on the Internet provide much convenience, it also provides lesser risks of capture for identity thieves. Law enforcers could do little do prevent identity theft or to investigate such since not all of them have the capacity to do so and identity thieves are improving their arsenal of identity stealing techniques. Technology might also be considered as the root of the prevalence of identity theft. Even as identity theft was not considered a crime before 1998, it has existed for a long time. Modern computing and telecommunications technology has once again popularized identity theft since identity thieves can better elude law enforcers compared to going to a bank and making a transaction using stolen information (Arnold, 2000). Legislation has always tried to address cyber crime, but it is challenging for lawmakers to keep up since technology quickly evolves and cyber crime evolves with it. A good approach would be improving security measures, educating users, adopting a vigilant approach in combating cyber crime and a police force that is well-equipped to handle such crimes (Alaganandam, et. al. , 2005). Identity theft and other cyber crimes are also classified as white-collar crimes, thus, offenders do not receive harsh penalties. They can even use the money plundered to pay for their defense and they serve at least only one year in prison (Arnold, 2000). Identity thieves must be dealt with harsher penalties since they operate on a much larger scale today and are even comparable to bank robbers only less inclined to being caught and given much less media attention. The number of cases of identity theft is increasing at an exponential rate but this could most likely be blamed on modern technology especially since the Internet has become commercialized. New technology comes with new opportunities for identity thieves to gain access to personal information and using it for personal gains. Legislation can address this problem but it would prove to be a challenge since identity thieves are finding new ways of how to steal personal information as technology develops. Legislation must also address this by rendering harsher penalties for cyber criminals as they operate just like ordinary criminals, the only difference is that they work discreetly and have not been given media attention. Also, the victims do not really know that they have been victimized until after some time the thieving takes places. References Alaganandam, H. , Mittal, P. , Singh, A. , Fleizach, C. , 6 December 2005. Cybercriminal Activity. Retrieved September 7, 2008, from sysnet. ucsd. edu/~cfleizac/WhiteTeam-CyberCrime. pdf Arnold, T. 2000 June. Internet Identity Theft: A Tragedy for Victims. Software and Information Industry Association. Retrieved September 7, 2008, from www. siia. net/software/pubs/iit-00. pdf Britz, M. (2004). Computer Forensics and Cyber Crime: An Introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Experian QAS. 22 August 2008. Holiday Fraud Threat. Retrieved September 3, 2008, from http://www. qas. co. uk/company/data-quality-news/holiday_fraud_threat_2614. htm Identity Theft Resource Center. 30 April 2007. Facts and Statistics. Retrieved September 3, 2008, from http://www. idtheftcenter. org/artman2/publish/m_facts/Facts_and_Statistics. shtml Infocycle. (2007). Government Bodies Must Play Their Part in Securing Against Identity Theft. Retrieved September 3, 2008, from http://www. infocycle. co. uk/index. php? option=com_contenttask=viewid=43Itemid=43 Newman, G. McNally, M. 2005 July. Identity Theft Literature Review. Retrieved September 3, 2008, from http://www. ncjrs. gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/210459. pdf. Solove, D. (2003). Privacy, and the Architecture of Vulnerability. Hastings Law Journal, 54. p. 1227. Retrieved September 3, 2008, from http://ssrn. com/abstract=416740

The Story Of An Hour :: essays research papers

The aspirations and expectations of freedom can lead to both overwhelming revelations and melancholy destruction. In Kate Chopin’s â€Å" The Story of an Hour† Louise Mallard is stricken with the news of her husband’s â€Å"death† and soon lead to new found glory of her freedom and then complete catastrophe in the death of herself. Chopin’s use of irony and the fluctuation in tone present the idea that freedom can be given or taken away without question and can kill without warning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After learning of her husband’s death in a railroad disaster, Mrs. Mallard sinks into a deep state of grief, as one would be expected to do upon receiving such news. â€Å"She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arm’s†, shows that the tone was of despair and heartache. Though, as the sights and sounds of spring reveal themselves through the window, the tone dramatically changes to a tasteful, newfound youth. The thoughts of â€Å"delicious breath of rain† or â€Å"notes of a distant song† bring the feeling of livelihood to one. Then, the words â€Å"Free, free, free!†, express Mrs. Mallard’s realization that her life from now on is her own, and will not be succumbed to the needs and wishes of her husband. Her pulse increases and her chest rises with fervor, as she â€Å"recognizes this thing that was approaching to posses her†, which depicts how the tone, once again is about to change. She has now found a new desire for life. However, without warning, the tone abruptly reverts back to its grief stricken â€Å" horror.† As Mr. Mallard walks in the door, her thoughts, dreams, and aspirations, quickly fade away. Louise’s heart, so weak, simply stops and all bliss transfers into extreme heartache. The drastic changes of tone reveals that freedom can be given and taken from someone in a heartbeat and the heartache will always remain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The apparent use of irony in Chopin’s story presents the idea of whether freedom does in fact result in the state of felicity. At first her ideas of freedom are sorrowful and her heart is broken because of the distraught news. Though the inexplicable feelings of freedom soon exhume her body and the future is now the focus of her mind. Ironically, her new found freedom is what soon leads to her devastating loss of life. â€Å"A kind intention or a cruel intention† expresses that no matter it be immoral or virtuous, the feeling of liberation from her â€Å"late† husband aids in her youthful

Most Important Person in Your Life

One person in my life that influences me the most would be my mother. My mom is by far the strongest person I know and she has gone through more struggles than any person should have to. She had to raise me on her own while facing many health issues and did whatever she had to do to give me what I needed. While I was growing up, she did not get to spend as much time with me as she would like because she worked a lot to take care of the bills and she was often in the hospital sick. We also moved around a lot until I was about 12, then we finally owned our first house and stated to spend more time together.Things started to improve from here, until my Grandpa passed away. This affected my mom and I greatly, but especially my mom. She started to become more distant and she stopped working for a while. I tried to make her smile and get back the close relationship we had. After a few months things went back to normal, she was back to the fun, loving woman I knew. Over the last few years m y mom has grown to be my best friend, we do everything together, but her health has also been progressively getting worse.Even though she is always sick, she does whatever she can to make me happy. Although I do not always appreciate it, my mom has made many sacrifices for me and has taught me many life lessons. I have learned to be responsible, caring, ambitious, confident, and most importantly strong. She has influenced me to become a better person and to always make the most out of what I have. Because of her I know that I can achieve great things and she has inspired me to be the best person I can be.

Annotated Bibliography - 4273 Words

Discussion Board 6: Global Cultural Analysis of Israel Annotated Bibliography Liberty University BUSI604 References Ackerman, W. (2000). The Americanization of Israeli Education. Israel Studies, 5(1), 228-243. Retrieved from http://www.liberty.edu:2048/login?url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/30245536 In his article, Walter Ackerman discusses the historical evolution of Israeli educational system. He notes that there were several influential people charged with a reformation of the education system in Israel, namely John Dewey, Alexander Dushkin and Isaac Berkson. Although American with educational backgrounds rooted in the United States, their â€Å"ideas of social justice and social engineering† were widely†¦show more content†¦Further quoting Mavshan, Hebrew as a â€Å"nation building tool† was used with great success by the Zionist movement. This was used to combat the effects of â€Å"dispora† on the languages of the Jewish people. Not only did the Zionist movement encourage the use of Hebrew through extensive educational programs, but they also engaged in †Å"active condemnation of alternative† languages. The article articulates this â€Å"battle† for the Hebrew language by documenting the early push for the national language in the city of Tel-Aviv. Chiswick, B. R. (1988). Hebrew Language Usage: Determinants and Effects on Earnings among Immigrants in Israel. Journal of Population Economics, 11(2), 253-271. Retrieved from http://www.liberty.edu:2048/login?url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/20007582 Barry Chiswick, of the Department of Economics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, explores how speaking Hebrew as well as the degree of fluency a person has impacts their potential earnings in Israel. Ultimately, the author concludes that highly fluent Hebrew speakers who speak English as a second language are the top earners in Israel. 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