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Nearly Every NYC Crime Involves Computers, Says Manhattan DA
jjp9999 writes "Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance says cybercrimes are the fastest growing crimes in New York City, and criminals of all types are finding uses for digital tools. The Epoch Times reports that during a Feb. 28 event, Vance said it has reached a point where 'It is rare that a case does not involve some kind of cyber or computer element that we prosecute in our office — whether it is homicide, whether it's financial crime case, whether it's a gang case where the gang members are posting on Facebook where they're going to meet.' He also noted that organized crime groups in New York are shifting their focus to cybercrime, and that many local criminals are working with international hackers."
Posting your meeting place on FB gives a crime a "computer element"? I guess in the old days looking through the phone book to pick a pawn shop to rob added a "yellow pages element" to the crime. Most criminals wear a watch to make sure they're "on time" or "on schedule". Better add a Timex division to every police force.
Nearly every crime involves transportation and communication. This is less of a story about how cybercrime is a threat and we should all unplug from the dangerous internet and worry about the next attack on a major utility company. Rather it's a realization that technology is an extension of our lives now, everything is impacted by it, and that's no different for criminals.
Obviously, computers facilitate crime, so we must register them and their users. Think of the income from this that cities like Detriot desperatly need. And while we are at it, no person under 18 should be allowed to have a cellphone wiht a camera. These facilitate "sexting".
Whatever your taste in crime, there's an app for that.
Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
Last week I noticed some items missing from my front porch. I had installed a couple of game cameras to strategically catch my front door. Went back through and had 4 pictures of the guy taking stuff, and two were quite nice since they are 4 megapixel cameras.
Pictures got posted on FB (not by me actually, I hate FB) and I had a name for the sheriffs office by the next morning. Even found his FB page so we could compare pictures.
Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, religion destroys spirituality
While I haven't read the article.
Today everything in life requires a computer, to take money out of the bank, going up the elevator, walk through the automatic shop doors, the cctv recording every move in the shop, the alarm system, the opening of the cash register. What's more I'm carrying my smart phone, a credit card.... So far in about 5 minutes and I already can't count how many computers have been involved.
No, the surprising thing is that the idiotic governments see this as any different to a security guard being sat there and manually writing down a list of people passing him, the guy at the cash register maintaining a list of everyone he served at the counter. They need a warrant to take that list, they think just cause it's a computer rather than a human recording the information a warrant can be ignored!
Criminals use any tool at their disposal. Computers are just now another tool in the toolbox. I guess it helps to know the trend.
It is rare today to find a crime that doesn't involve an automobile in some way. As a getaway car, the jacked in a carjacking, or as transportation to the airport for those jumping bail, we very rarely see a case cross our desks these days that does not involve a car.
Therefore, our special car crimes unit needs more money.
AC
This anthrocriminal element is taking over I tell you.
Fugue for Aaron Swartz
Is that they're actually forced by their battle with law enforcement to become more innovative, more adept at their trade if you will, in order to remain free to practice their alternative income schemes. Law enforcement is kept busy with all measure of law breakers. Even the burglar who leaves his wallet behind at the scene of the crime requires an arrest, booking, detective interviews, and prosecution. It has occurred to me that much of law enforcement's time and energy go to plucking low-hanging fruit. Is it any wonder they are losing the battle to adapt technologically?
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
...when every minor misdemeanor or even purely civil matter becomes a federal felony.
The legal response to progress must not be "harsher punishments for every new generation" to consider computers (including cellphones these days) evil because "even" organized crime uses them, and to treat everyone else (who inevitably has to use them as part of one's daily life as well) like a mobster too - until the whole world becomes a "prison planet". Good to see a DA (possibly unintentionally) acknowledge the real issue in the midst of fearmongering.
Cf. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/02/aarons-law-amending-the-cfaa/
No problem. We'll just replace "cyber" with "digital" and then it'll sound less stupid.
[replace replace replace] Hmm.. that's odd. How come it's not working?
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
Fear mongering, to justify warrentless and pervasive "intelligence-gathering". Somehow "regular criminals are using computers to endanger us all!" is expected to resonate.
The network-connected computer is an incidental and pervasive technology. There is a general level of enablement offered by the technology, to all aspects of society. One of these aspect also happens to be organizing commission of crimes.
Crime is defined through three elements: Motive, Opportunity and Willingness. The thrust of the argument is that somehow having a computer enhances "opportunity". This requires no greater caution over the technology than landlines, wristwatches or even street lighting.
The computer is also a passive technology to "intent", like street lighting or automobiles, incidental to the creation of criminal opportunity, as cited by the cops. But there is an insinuation made that the intent aspect is even more heinous, when a computer is introduced as a factor.
Don't fall for it. Stop feds, stop pigs. Whenever, wherever you can.
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Arson, assault, bail jumping, bigamy, breaking and entering, bribing a police officer, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, cemetery desecration, child abandonment, child abuse, contempt of court, discharging a firearm within city limits, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, domestic violence, drug possession, drunk driving, failure to pay child support, incest, indecent exposure, improper disposal of hazardous waste (like contaminated needles), kidnapping, loitering, obstruction of justice, perjury, possessing lockpicks, probation violation, public intoxication, rioting, shoplifting, tampering with a consumer product, trespassing, vandalism, vehicular assault, violating an open container law.
Clearly it all involves computers!
What do they expect? They make it so you don't have to get warrents to tap someone phoneline, so no point in using old technology when you can get better protection with new technology.
Was it a shock when bank robbers stopped using horses and started to use cars to get away?
Was it a shock when robbers stopped using knifes and went with a gun?
Is it a shock that a politician doesn't understand how life works?
Be seeing you...
If you find yourself accused of a felony, expect to have seized everything that you own or are likely to have touched that has or might have any memory in it. You'll get it back on the 32nd of Nevember.
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.