Nearly Every NYC Crime Involves Computers, Says Manhattan DA 108
jjp9999 writes "Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance says cybercrimes are the fastest growing crimes in New York City, and criminals of all types are finding uses for digital tools. The Epoch Times reports that during a Feb. 28 event, Vance said it has reached a point where 'It is rare that a case does not involve some kind of cyber or computer element that we prosecute in our office — whether it is homicide, whether it's financial crime case, whether it's a gang case where the gang members are posting on Facebook where they're going to meet.' He also noted that organized crime groups in New York are shifting their focus to cybercrime, and that many local criminals are working with international hackers."
Really? (Score:4, Insightful)
Posting your meeting place on FB gives a crime a "computer element"? I guess in the old days looking through the phone book to pick a pawn shop to rob added a "yellow pages element" to the crime. Most criminals wear a watch to make sure they're "on time" or "on schedule". Better add a Timex division to every police force.
Re:Really? (Score:5, Insightful)
No, what he is saying is that criminals (gangs in the case you are deriding) are using technology such as FB more to organize those crimes. I suspect he is also trying to say that the police and DA offices are having a difficult time keeping up with the advances in technology.
In other news... (Score:5, Insightful)
Nearly every crime involves transportation and communication. This is less of a story about how cybercrime is a threat and we should all unplug from the dangerous internet and worry about the next attack on a major utility company. Rather it's a realization that technology is an extension of our lives now, everything is impacted by it, and that's no different for criminals.
Who is surprised? (Score:5, Insightful)
While I haven't read the article.
Today everything in life requires a computer, to take money out of the bank, going up the elevator, walk through the automatic shop doors, the cctv recording every move in the shop, the alarm system, the opening of the cash register. What's more I'm carrying my smart phone, a credit card.... So far in about 5 minutes and I already can't count how many computers have been involved.
No, the surprising thing is that the idiotic governments see this as any different to a security guard being sat there and manually writing down a list of people passing him, the guy at the cash register maintaining a list of everyone he served at the counter. They need a warrant to take that list, they think just cause it's a computer rather than a human recording the information a warrant can be ignored!
Re:In other news... (Score:5, Insightful)
Nearly every crime involves transportation and communication.
Exactly. (I'm feeling too old this AM to type "This" :-) ) I was going to respond that nearly every crime involved breathing. /. , but I live for the opportunity to learn and adjust.
So why is it that so many people over 30 (and I'm waaay over 30) seem incapable of learning new shit? Maybe I'm a serious outlier, like most of us on
FEAR MONGERING (Score:5, Insightful)
Fear mongering, to justify warrentless and pervasive "intelligence-gathering". Somehow "regular criminals are using computers to endanger us all!" is expected to resonate.
The network-connected computer is an incidental and pervasive technology. There is a general level of enablement offered by the technology, to all aspects of society. One of these aspect also happens to be organizing commission of crimes.
Crime is defined through three elements: Motive, Opportunity and Willingness. The thrust of the argument is that somehow having a computer enhances "opportunity". This requires no greater caution over the technology than landlines, wristwatches or even street lighting.
The computer is also a passive technology to "intent", like street lighting or automobiles, incidental to the creation of criminal opportunity, as cited by the cops. But there is an insinuation made that the intent aspect is even more heinous, when a computer is introduced as a factor.
Don't fall for it. Stop feds, stop pigs. Whenever, wherever you can.
Re:TIme for computer registration (Score:4, Insightful)