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Why 'Cyber Crime' Should Just Be Called 'Crime'

Posted by Soulskill on from the prefixes-that-have-worn-out-their-welcome dept.

netzar writes "CAUSE executive director Neil Schwartzman, in a post on CircleID, urges governments and law enforcement to treat cyber crime as what it really is: 'crime': 'When someone is mugged, harassed, kidnapped or raped on a sidewalk, we don't call it "sidewalk crime" and call for new laws to regulate sidewalks. It is crime, and those who commit crimes are subject to the full force of the law. For too long, people have referred to spam in dismissive terms: just hit delete, some say, or let the filters take care of it. Others — most of us, in fact — refer to phishing, which is the first step in theft of real money from real people and institutions, as "cyber crime." It's time for that to stop... This isn't just email. This isn't a war. This isn't "cyber." This is crime.'"

2 of 368 comments (clear)

  1. Car analogy by The_mad_linguist · · Score: 3, Funny

    So, it's like saying that we shouldn't call people being shot from a car a "drive-by shooting" or someone being run over by a car a "hit-and-run"?

    Ack, this isn't working. BadAnalogyGuy, help me out here.

  2. Cyber by Prien715 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Cyber sex is sex! You can really get pregnant, not just cyber pregnant.

    Be sure to use a condom!

    --
    -- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.