Categories of Computer Crime, Essay Example

Introduction

Federal agencies are those organs of the government that have been bestowed with the sole responsibility of protecting, investigating and even advising the government of the possible threats to our national security. They include the FBI, Secret Service, department of Homeland security among others. Digital crime is the use of computers, networks and or other electronics communication methods to perpetuate crime. This has become a growing nightmare to authorities’ not only in the US but world over thanks to the advancement of technology. It is due to this security threat that there is an urgent need for the federal security agencies to come up with ways to counter these digital crimes (Moore, 2005).

Challenges arising from independent nature of federal agencies

Due to the need for specialization and different needs that resulted to the creation of these agencies, they operate independently. Each one concentrates on a specific set of threats for which it was created in the first place. This has resulted to a lot of challenges and inefficiencies in their operations. This is due to overlapping, conflicting or even uncertainty of their respective responsibilities (Weitzer, 2003). One of the greatest challenges is that of poor co-ordination between these agencies. Each operates independently and hence whenever there is a need to come together for a common cause it becomes quite difficult. Another challenge is that of breach of Privacy Act whenever there is need to share information. This makes some officers fear making public some type of information for fear of possible prosecution. Lastly there is lack of prioritizing which areas need more attention. This is mainly due to the specialization nature of their jobs and thus each organ tends to focus on its own mandate.

Common factors

Even if all this agencies operate independently, they have a common ground for their activities. This is the basic fact that they are aimed at protecting or ensuring the security of US citizens and their property (Olson-Raymer, 1996). Thus there is no need to develop cold blood or to have poor working relations. They are all paid from the same public coffers to assure citizens of their security- period!

How to align federal security agencies to counter digital crimes

Due to the ever growing security threat posed to citizens in the form of digital crime, there is need to align the efforts of these agencies so as to effectively and efficiently counter digital crimes. The first move the US government needs to do to align the efforts of these security organs is to allow for a central data sharing program between them. This will not only allow for speedy execution of investigations, but also protect the officers from possible threats of prosecution. Another thing the government can do is to come up with new legislations that govern these authorities. We live in a constantly changing world and this is why we are facing new types of crimes like digital crimes (Moore, 2005). Therefore there is need for government to come up with new legislations that are up-to-date and reflect the reality on the ground. This way they will also fill any possible legal pitfalls that may have arisen. Lastly the government can think of creating a coordinating office that will be charged with the mandate of coordinating the efforts of these federal security agencies.

Conclusion

In conclusion we can say that digital crime is a new type of crime that is posing great danger to the security of all of us irrespective of our backgrounds. Therefore there is great need for all efforts to be taken to reduce the impact of this type of crime. Aligning the federal agencies is one of them but it should not stop there. Each and every one of us has a role to play to ensure his security, that of others and our nation at large.

References

Denning, D. and P. Denning, (200Internet Besieged: Countering Cyberspace Scofflaws. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1997.

Moore, R. (2005) Cybercrime: Investigating High-Technology Computer Crime, Cleveland, Mississippi: Anderson Publishing.

Olson-Raymer, Gayle, (1996). Terrorism: A Historical & Contemporary Perspective. New York: American Heritage Custom Publishing.

Weitzer, Ronald (2003). Current Controversies in Criminology. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Press. p. 15.