Toll that cyber crime takes

 By Anna-Rita Pani

THE internet was established in Papua New Guinea on March 12, 1997, by Papua New Guinea Post and Telikom (Nathan Kwasam, UPNG). Over time, the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has increased in the country

THE internet and digital technologies is bringing many benefits into the country such as increased connectivity, which allows people to stay in touch with family and friends and news about family affairs are transferred effectively. 

The internet and digital technologies connect Papua New Guinea (PNG) to the world, which allows effective dialogue between countries as well as opening up the country for foreign investment. 

Accessing information for academic research as well as other types of research is made easier by online services. 

Various information and services as well as doing businesses are made accessible by the internet and digital technologies.

However, the highly interconnected world has given rise to a new crime called cybercrime. 

Cybercrime refers to any illegal activity that uses a computer and a network. 

The US Department of Justice expanded the definition of cybercrime to include any activity that uses a computer for storage of evidence. 

Cybercrime is rising at a fast rate. This calls for skilful personnel and state of art digital facilities to address this problem.

The most common forms of cybercrime around the world are spam, fraud, cyber bullying, drug trafficking, cyber terrorism and piracy along with those addressed by the PNG Cybercrime Policy such as hacking, money laundering and theft, identity theft, child sexual exploitation as well as deliberate pornography.

Robert Wainwright, the director of Europol stated that, “the threat from cybercrime is multi-dimensional, targeting citizens, businesses and government at a rapidly growing rate. Cybercriminal tools pose a direct threat to security and play increasingly important roles in facilitating most forms of organised crimes and terrorism” (January 2012).

Political concerns

The PNG Government is committed to protect local communities from cybercrime. 

The endorsement of the PNG Cy­bercrime Policy is a major step towards addressing the issues of cybercrime. The state is committed to implement this policy to ensure a secure cyber environment and protect PNG from cybercrime.

Cybercrime poses a grave challenge to the government and to the growth and development of PNG. 

This crime poses negative implications for the implementation of major government policies such as the PNG Vision 2050, PNG Sustainable Development Programme 2010-2030, and other related policies such as the ICT Act 2009, National Security Policy 2013, Customs Act 1951, Criminal Code Act 1974, National Intelligence Organisation Act 1984, Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act 2000, and the proposed Censorship Bill on Classification of Films, Publications and Online Services. 

The Government’s motion to review the other laws (such as Customs Act 1951, Business Names Act 1963, Criminal Code Act 1974, National Intelligence Organisation Act 1984, Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act 2000, National ICT Act 2009, Lukautim Pikinini Act 2012 and so forth) is important for an effective implementation of the cybercrime policy.

Minister for Information and Com­munication Technology, Jimmy Miringtoro embraced these threats in his statement, 

“In today’s highly interconnected world, the number, sophistication and impact of cybercrime continue to grow and pose a serious threat to individuals, businesses and governments.

“These cybercrime threats range from fraud, hacking, money laundering, and theft through to cyber stalking, cyber bullying and identity theft, and child sexual exploitation” as well as deliberate pornography”(The National, September 26, 2014). 

Other political leaders raised concerns about the threats of internet usage to the nation’s political, social and economic wellbeing.

Minister for Petroleum and Energy, Nixon Duban, for instance, has called on the responsible authority to regulate social media, which has the largest number of subscribers. 

Duban said that: “while PNG enjoys the ideals of democracy underpinned by basic rights and freedom of a free society, the internet and hi-tech information and communication technology revolution has moved the boundaries of these rights and freedoms to the extent that persons with political inclinations opportunists and social media freaks are abusing these rights.” 

He said that, “as a government and apart from regulations of the social media, it is incumbent upon us to ensure regulations are in place to combat and secure our people from internet-based crimes and predatory schemes such as pornography, money laundering, child prostitution, hu­man smuggling, and gambling, including safeguarding businesses in PNG from intellectual property thefts and so on” (Post-Courier, June 10, 2014).

Cybercrime affects different sectors of society in different ways. This commentary generally discusses the repercussions of cybercrime on individuals and businesses and exploring options for research in these areas.

Repercussion of cybercrime Individual human person

Problems associated with cybercrime are numerous with repercussions. In developed countries like the United States and United Kingdom, many people are becoming victims of the technological innovations. 

Suicides and attempted suicides associated with cyber stalking and cyber bullying are rising. 

Cybercrime, in the form of cyber stalking and cyber bullying, affects individuals profoundly. 

Individuals suffer more depression from cyber bullying, which is mostly identified with younger people and cyber stalking, which is when adults are involved. 

This growing problem calls for serious attention as it affects the core of the human person which can eventually lead to suicide or death. 

Research has found that individuals who were stalked or harassed online experienced higher levels of stress and trauma than people who were physically stalked or harassed. 

Speaking at the 119th Annual Convention of American Psychological Association, Dr Elizabeth Carll observed that the symptoms relating to cyber stalking and e-harassment maybe more intense than in-person harassment as the impact of online harassment and stalking is more devastating. 

Business and cybercrime

In a country like PNG, where counselling and psychological services are taken lightly, the stress and trauma can escalate into health issues. 

Individual productivity can be reduced when a person suffers from depression as a result of cybercrime. 

Failing health, both physically and mentally, can affect work attendance and performances as well as lack of motivation in engaging in productive activities to enhance livelihood.

The business community is vulnerable to cybercrime. As technology increases between governments that are involved in international businesses, criminals have realised that this (cybercrime) is a cost-effective method of making money such as hacking company websites and obtaining sensitive company information. Companies can make a loss when the records of their customers are hacked by some security breach associated with cybercrime. 

This is mostly identified with financial institutions. Customers can no longer trust the company, which might result in the company going out of business. 

This will then affect the government’s revenue. 

Financial institutions spend sub­stantial amounts of money to prevent incidences of loss of confidence. Company productivity is at stake when IT personnel have to deal with cybercrime incidences most of the time instead of working on some productive measures for the company.  

In PNG where our law enforcement agencies do not have the facilities to deal with such crime, time and resources are lost investigating cybercrime and investigations often extend for long periods of time and investigations may fail as cybercriminals move from one victim to another. 

Informal methods such as counter blackmailing and set ups serve as the most effective methods of tracking down cybercriminals. 

This method proved to be effective in the incident of former Miss PNG Antonia Singut’s pornography allegations where policemen in plainclothes arrested a 23-year-old man who was blackmailing Singut to extort money and sex from her. 

Furthermore, Meaghan Ringwelski, a freelance writer at Self, Writing and Editing in the United States (June 23, 2014) stressed that,“due to the measures that many companies must implement to counteract cybercrime, there is often a negative effect on employees productivity”. 

Restrictive measures such as restricting the use of internet services, mailing services, and to some extent telecommunication services may turn clients away as the employees are no longer able to hold them in contact and keep them informed.

 Society will be affected when companies become victims of cybercrime. 

Government revenues will be affected and the unemployment rate will increase, thus contributing significantly to other issues in the society, especially law and order issues.

The need for more research

In the light of this issue and with the knowledge that internet and digital technologies have a relatively short history in PNG, research is required to create a pool of knowledge about internet and digital technologies and associated issues. 

While there are already research done by Amanda Watson (2011) The Mobile Phone: The new communication drum for Papua New Guinea, and Henry Yamo (2013) Mobile Phones in rural Papua New Guinea: A transformation in health communication and delivery services in Western Highlands, there is still a need for research into individual attitude towards technology and usage of the services. 

This research can be instrumental in creating databases of different age groups using digital technology and internet and the purposes. 

Research is needed to account for the frequency of cybercrime incidences among individuals and businesses and frequency of incidences of violence and deaths associated with internet and digital technologies.

Contribution of internet and digital technologies towards law and order problems in the society is an important research option as well as research into the contribution of internet and digital technologies towards the development of PNG. 

Research is needed to monitor the implementation of the cybercrime policy and other related policies. 

Research is important to inform and influence the government of better ways to formulate evidence-based policies to address cybercrime and other issues facing our society.

Conclusion

Cybercrime affects individuals more intensely than companies or even the airwaves, which the internet service providers use to provide this service. 

This crime does not only affect the cyber environment; it and more intensely affects the social values and norms of the society as well as the mental and emotional state of individuals. 

The implementation of the cybercrime policy will require the efforts of all the government departments as well as cooperation and commitment from the people.

As this issue is new, it requires further research to guide and influence the responsible authorities and the PNG citizens to make informed decisions to combat cybercrime incidences.

• Anna-Rita Pani is a cadet researcher with the National Research Institute. The views expressed here are the author’s and not necessarily those of the NRI