Whether punishment for cybercrime should or shouldn't be more severe for repeat offenders; does it

depend on what form of cybercrime?

Cybercrime is a crime that’s basis takes place on a computer or in the realm of a network. A

computer can be the scene of a crime, a computer can be used as the weapon to commit the crime, and

in many cases they are interchangeable. Currently this crime is nearly impossible to prosecute, although

that narra�ve has been rapidly changing. People and companies alike fall vic�m to cybercrime, o�en

suffering massive financial loss, personal hardships, and the deteriora�on of mental health. Cybercrimes

should bear the same punishments as physical crimes due to its heavy consequences. Repeated

offenders should feel the ramifica�ons for invading another’s privacy; expensive fines, jail �me and the

seizure of computer ownership and usage rights are just some of the possible penal�es that should be

brought into effect.

One of the largest and trauma�zing cybercrimes is cyberbullying. This is where an electronic

device is used to shame, threaten, abuse, dominate or humiliate another. Most o�en the offenders are

anonymous and are usually family, friends, or acquaintances but can some�mes be a stranger. Some

examples of cyberbullying are leaking personal inappropriate pictures or videos, crea�ng hate groups on

social media pla�orms targe�ng one person, or sending mean personal private messages. O�en enough,

cyberbullying atacks are not a one-�me offense, o�en reoccurring for days, months or even years. An

example of this is with a 15-year-old girl from Canada, named Amanda Todd. Todd had befriended a

stranger on the internet and was convinced to share inappropriate photos with this person online.

Breeching her privacy the stranger would go on to stalk, cyberbully and threaten her for years, un�l one

day this person leaked these unauthorized pictures of Todd. She tried to go to the police but there was

not much that they could do. Eventually these events would deteriorate Amanda’s mental health and

she would end up taking her life. A�er this specific case, Canada introduced an�bullying laws that, had

they been there in the first place, would have possibly prevented this horrific event en�rely, by providing
Amanda Todd the help that she was looking for when she went to the authori�es. The loss of life alone

should send the perpetrator immediately to a maximum life sentence, a�er all this going on for years; it

was premeditated.

The cybersphere is invisible and many may believe that such punishment may be too severe for a

crime that occurs on a computer; it’s just a computer, isn’t it? Wrong. As seen in the example above,

computers have now become weaponized. Depending on the severity of the crime, first �me offenders

should not see the innards of a jail cell, however, much like drunk driving, cyber abusers should have to

take classes on ne�quete. Just like in the real world, computer users cannot galivant the web just

abusing people. Although cyberbullying was the only example aforemen�oned, other cybercrimes, such

as malware atacks, can also maim a person’s life. Extor�on can ruin families and one’s financial status

and that too is detrimental to a human’s psyche. Crimes that happen in the ‘real world’ like extor�on and

mental abuse have severe punishments and cybercrimes should not be exempt from this norm.

Universally, laws, acts, bills, and other standards of judicial protec�ons need to be enacted to prevent

the public from such crimes.

Cybercrimes are no different than crimes that happen in everyday life, the only difference that

stands between them, is only one of them receives disciplinary ac�ons. Cybercrimes are growing at a

rapid rate. To see a change in this trend, it is impera�ve that Cybercrime receive similar judicial

proceedings and punishment as real-world crime, all depending on the severity of the crime that

occurred.
Source: Teaching in IST. IST 110: Introduction to Information, People And Technology |
Teaching in IST. (n.d.). https://teaching.ist.psu.edu/courses/undergrad/ist/110