Advanced Emerging Technologies: A Crime Catalyst Or A Crime Deterrent?

Introduction 

The emerging era of advanced technology has not only changed the societal structure but has also aided the criminal justice system significantly. Crime fighters use advanced technological tools to gain adequacy in the prevention, detection, and control of various criminal activities. Nonetheless, it has also opened up further opportunities for fraudulent people, leading to an exponential growth in crime rates in certain areas. The fact that criminals exploit these tools to stay ahead of policing agencies undermines the desired defensive role. Although, both the police and criminals benefit from technology, universal access has also increased the challenges for law enforcement agencies as well as has narrowed the possibilities for culprits to evade the justice system. This, in turn, has driven a crime race and raised concerns about the adverse use and potential abuse of technology. 

Political crimes

Amongst various areas, politics is one where technology has contributed to a significant drop in crime rate. Large-scale political crimes, e.g. rigging in elections, and economic corruption like smuggling and money laundering, boost terrorism through the purchase of military weapons to spread terror in rival nations. Tools such as checking on money transactions through multipronged communication are being used by global organizations such as the Financial Task Action Force (FATF) to monitor money laundering and terrorist funding activities to prevent threats to international peace posed by such crimes, leading to an overall decline in such crimes. Technology has also aided in the prevention of corruption through computerized monitoring of money transactions within and outside the country. Evidence of this is the use of forensic and auditing tools by the Philippines to detect and convict Imelda Marcos and her husband for having committed theft of more than &860.8 million.  Hence, technology has helped combat political crimes to a great extent. However, there is a chance that the powerful establishments in third-world countries might try to coerce politicians to expel them from taking part in elections to concentrate power in their hands. Whereas, in first-world countries, one may try to take over the other to gain economic hegemony as was evident in the Cold War, through the explosion of the Siberian oil pipeline, in 1982. Investigations revealed that soviet spies had stolen the software needed to operate the pipeline, being unaware that a Trojan horse had been implemented into it by the US, causing an explosion of a 3-kiloton blast. This is a prominent example of politically motivated sabotage causing huge economic loss facilitated by computer software. However, these details of the event are only supported by one writer and further inferences cannot be drawn. Similar abusive use of technology is also evident in the electoral process. The mass inculcation of computerized voting technology including biometric voter registration, verification, and electronic result transmission has exposed the electoral process to rigging by political parties to monopolize the government office. Such an incident was reported during the 2016 US presidential elections where the Kremlin-linked hackers tried to hack the electoral data from over 20 states. However, tools like cyber security software and email server encryption are being used to prevent such horrors from happening. For instance, in the case of the Democratic National Committee vs. the Russian Federation, all the Fourteen Intelligence Agencies of the US confirmed rigging in these elections using advanced technological software’s. Hence, it can be concluded that despite the threats imposed by technology, it is ultimately these modern innovations that have allowed us to detect those crimes that had been swept under the rug for centuries, consequently lowering the crime rate to a great extent.

Economic crimes 

Technology has also played a huge role in combating economic crimes like human trafficking, invoice manipulation, under-invoicing, identity theft, cryptocurrency extortion, etc. Technology has helped curb smuggling and tax evasion through online surveillance of political borders and the sharing of real-time trade data. Online and cashless transactions via banking apps and the registration of businesses in the government’s database have made it hard for people to evade tax.  For instance, in 2009, the governments of Pakistan and China shared their data of total registered exports via the Electronic Data Exchange Mechanism, results showed that a total of &12 Billion imports to Pakistan were registered with the government as of &6 Billion. Without such mechanisms, this under-invoicing of transactions would have continued ruining the economy. Although economic growth proliferates on technological innovations it has also offered thriving new avenues to criminals who use it to counterfeit money, forging tax stamps, tax labels, and payment cards. Criminals are using web-based platforms to share knowledge and submit data for the production of counterfeits through colored printers, desktop publishing, photocopiers, and scanners and then transfer through ATM cards, bank accounts, and alternate remittance methods. A report by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) highlighted that financial crimes cost $3.5 trillion per year to the world. Such trafficking operations are spread in various countries, damaging the economies. However, it is again the technological innovations that are being used by crime control groups to identify and take action against them. In 2012, the Dominican Republic National Drug Control Agency disclosed the $2.6 million counterfeit of US currency by gathering additional intelligence through surveillance operations and other investigative software. Hence, it can be claimed that a significant reduction in economic crimes is being brought about through quick detection and control mechanisms.

Social crimes 

Looking at the social impact, technology has led to a drastic increase in social crimes such as online harassment, discrimination, victimization, and cyberbullying. These advanced communication technologies have increased the risk of cyber-attacks targeting personal data, hence breaching privacy. One of the two most alarming indications of this is the case of Jennifer Lawrence whose personal photos were stolen and posted online in 2014. She addressed it as a “sex crime”. Another is a local example of Rawalpindi where compromising videos of young girls and boys were recorded by hidden cameras consisting of small silicon ships installed in a hotel room. They were later blackmailed which forced the girls to commit suicide. Such incidents cause an exponential increase in psychological and mental health problems. With an inefficient justice system in place, the victims are sometimes forced to turn to illegal methods for revenge, leading to more such crimes. An increase in online radicalization and hate crimes was reported in 2016.  This indicates the way technology is being exploited to inflate criminal activities in society. However, technology has also played an adequate role in keeping some social crimes at bay. Advanced techniques such as geo-fencing, facial recognition software, surveillance systems, thermal imaging technology, and drones help with quick responses to social crimes. Rape criminals are now being detected with the aid of forensic audits, DNA tests facility, and fingerprint detection. Recently, in the “motorway rape case” in Pakistan, the suspects were identified by National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) through the above-mentioned technologies. Hence, the new advancements are also assisting the police in detecting the most serious social crimes. Moreover, law agencies also fight terrorism through the use of advanced technological tools by detecting the locations of criminals posing a threat to societal peace. In 2011, a most wanted entity, Osama Bin Ladin’s location; involved in acts of terrorism, was detected through advanced technology like drones, Satellite Imaging, DNA matching, and GPS by international intelligence agencies. Thus, terrorist activities are now being controlled with the aid of modern technological tools. Although technology-driven solutions help tackle some crimes the actual side of the picture shows the adverse consequences of technological innovations. Crimes like gang rape, murder, and cyberbullying have become deeper rooted in human societies. Technology is indeed a catalyst for community however its effectiveness depends on sorting out the basic causes of crime and placing better mechanisms to prevent people from misusing it.

Solutions 

To maintain a strategic cyber deterrent against these crimes, countries must develop a centralized command responsible for the development and modernization of cyber defences. China, one of the developed countries, has set up China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), involved in modernizing militaries. Although its operations have had a major impact on crime rates, it still needs to pursue technological advancement to overcome its operational technicalities. Since this is a government-controlled organization; there exists a potential risk of unfair government influence affecting its impartiality and independence. Manipulation of the system by the government for its benefits can result in increased crimes. To prevent such transgressions, global organizations like the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime is working in above fifty countries to provide necessary training to governments and agencies to sharpen investigative skills and help develop secret software to detect and fight against cyber offences. Being a global organization, the UN may have to face pressure from strong economies but the records prove its neutrality in all of its operations.

Reflection 

My understanding of the diverse impacts of technology developed after reading the book, “21 Lessons for the 21st Century”, by Noah Harari. The author being an expert himself, collected data with valid citations and presented the challenges of navigating life amid an explosion of technology. My research was further propelled by a report from FATF, an international organization of experts, updating on the current status of their global crime control operations. Another authentic source is the official UN website which presents reports on new advancement in technology and their impacts. However, I also had to rely on a weak source, the newspaper Hinduism Times, due to strict government control over publications in China. This newspaper’s opinion on China’s People’s Liberation Army might be biased as China is their neighbouring rival, particularly in economic terms along with conflicts in bordering areas. Similarly, for the local shreds of evidence, I had to use news websites due to a lack of opportunities for on-field research. However, I have tried to overcome the bias by extracting only the facts and backing them with my analysis and evaluation. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, I believe that the connection between technology and crime varies from place to place. Some developed countries have been effectively utilizing modern technologies to fight cybercrimes, resulting in a comparatively higher drop in crime rates than that in developing countries where criminals still have vast opportunities to exploit the loopholes in cyber security systems. In particular, as proven above, technology has helped lower political and economic crimes while boosting social crimes. This research personally changed my very biased perception of technology and helped me explore the extreme consequences in real life. To make further improvements in crime graphs, experts must expand the scope of their research in the biochemical mechanism. Through advancements in such multidisciplinary areas, we can predict the thinking patterns and behavioral tendencies of humans to determine their crime-committing probabilities. With the present system in place, governments must transform their proactive approach to crimes into a reactive approach to detect and prevent crime in the first place rather than taking action after the committal.

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