Introduction to

IT Crimes

By Ubena John
2021-02-17
Introduction
What is Criminal liability?
What are IT related crimes?
What is the role of IT devices in criminal
law: IT devices as target or intermediary
The Problem areas

Tangible versus Virtual properties

Jurisdiction: Sovereignty and
extraterritoriality
Evidence and investigation procedure
Focal areas:
Technology and Information: data
alteration/interference
Communication: Illegal access and illegal
Interception
IPRs
How is it related to other areas generally?

ICT crime and law enforcement

Telecommunications crime
ICT crimes-theory and perspectives
IT/digital forensics
Other areas
Privacy
eCommerce
IPRs
eGovt & eSociety
International perspective

- 1960s data protection and software

protection
- 1980 Invention of the Internet
- 1990s invention of the World Wide
Web: digitization and Copyright
infringement, and trademark issues
-2000s Web 2.0 copyright and P2P
Categories of IT related crimes
(i)Crimes against state, (ii) Crimes against
property, and(iii) Crimes against persons
Illegal access §4 Cybercrimes Act of 2015
Illegal interception §6 Cybercrimes Act
Computer –related forgery §11 Cybercrimes
Act
Computer related fraud, §12 Cybercrimes
Act, identity theft (§15 Cybercrimes Act)
Sexual offences-child pornograph (§13
Cybercrimes Act), pornography and
prostitution(§14 Cybercrimes Act)
Categories of IT Crimes
Spamming §20 Cybercrimes Act
Cyberattacks including warfare,
terrorism, genocide §19 Cybercrimes Act
Violation of Intellectual Property Rights
§24 Cybercrimes Act
Racist and Xenophobic material §§ 17 &
18 Cybercrimes Act
Responses
legalresponses: EC Cyber Crimes
Convention 2001, UN Convention on
Transnational Organised Crimes, UK
Computer Misuse Act 1990; USA CAN-
SPAM,
Technical responses: e-Signature, DRM,
firewalls, Intrusion detection systems
Other solutions: extend ICC jurisdiction to
cybercrimes cases, regional cooperation, US-
EU Working Group on cybersecurity and
cybercrime, UN Congress on Criminal
Prevention
Some cases
 Stuxnet in Iran 2010
 In July 2011 Hackers stole SSL certificates for CIA,
M16, Mossad, etc.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9219727/
Hackers_steal_SSL_certificates_for_CIA_MI6_Mossad?taxonomyId=85
 11 Oct. 2012 German police Big Brother on Skype,
Hotmail, Gmail, and Facebook
http://www.hotforsecurity.com/blog/german-police-big-brother-on-skype-hotmail-
gmail-and-facebook-3903.html
For 2018 Cybercrimes incidence see FBI Reports at
 https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber/news
 For Cybercrimes incidences in Tanzania see
Cybersecurity report at
 https://www.serianu.com/downloads/
TanzaniaCyberSecurityReport2016.pdf
The future outlook

Increase of IT Crimes
Increase of reliance on technical measures
of protections such as DRMs
Increase cyberwarfare
Cooperation among states to fight IT
crimes
Conflicts of interests : privacy vs
surveillance
Questions for discussion:

1. What indicators show that the World has

failed to contain cyber crimes?
2. In absence of law, how can you protect
your assets, communication, data, against
cyber criminals?