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The concept of cyber-spirituality and digital security has recently emerged due to the increasing dependence on technology. Using technology in spiritual contexts presents opportunities for enhanced spiritual experiences and risks that can compromise one's digital security. It emphasizes how the intersection of spirituality and technology can potentially result in a more fulfilling spiritual practice while adding to the existing concerns about data security.

In contemporary times, the impact of technology on mental health has emerged as a critical concern that demands ethical conduct in cyberspace. People are increasingly invested in fostering interfaith dialogues, achieving social equity, and promoting fair play within online communities. This chapter highlights the imperative need to approach technology with mindfulness while prioritizing digital safety in the fast-paced world.

In today's interconnected world, internet users are constantly exposed to a host of risks, including cyberattacks, cyberbullying, cyber-victimizations, and privacy violations. This chapter critically examines these severe threats to personal safety as well as overall societal well-being caused by increasing digitization. Focusing on critical factors such as digital literacy, digital citizenship, cybersecurity practices, and the legal framework concerning data protection, it stresses responsible conduct in the virtual space through informed decision-making by individuals.

Overall, this chapter aims to investigate how cyber-spirituality intersects with digital security in the context of the workplace. Accordingly, it advocates for an introspective attitude toward technology usage that underscores responsible behavior while helping us strike a balanced relationship with digital tools. Through this approach, we can not only safeguard against potential threats but also enhance our emotional well-being.

The purpose of this study is to test a comprehensive routine activity framework on three types of online victimization. Prior research has utilized routine activity theory to explain varied online forms of victimization, but most have focused on its person-based forms. The present study, therefore, expands upon this research to examine the effects of online exposure, online target suitability and online guardianship upon phishing, hacking and malware infection victimization.

Secondary data from the 23rd Cycle of the Canadian GSS were used to address the study’s research questions using binary logistic regression analyses.

Particular online behaviors were consistently and positively related to all three types of online victimization, including booking/making reservations, social networking and having one’s information posted online. Other online routines exhibited unique effects on online victimization risk.

In support of the theory, the results suggest that online exposure and target suitability increase risks for phishing, hacking and malware victimization. Online guardianship was also positively related to victimization, a finding that runs counter to theoretical expectations.

This paper aims to determine the level of online fraud offending within an Australian jurisdiction and how to best apply resources to combat it.

Empirical data were provided by an Australian law enforcement agency, and qualitative responses were obtained from the parties involved in the crimes themselves (the victims, the offenders and the nominated law enforcement agency).

Although there was variance between the ages of the online fraud victims, there was a slightly higher chance of an older member of the population falling victim to an offender than that of a younger person. The number of a particular gender reporting an instance of cybercrime in a given area can be higher if the total number of participants in that area was also high. Older victims were more likely to lose larger amounts of money to online fraud. Furthermore, it was found that when the non-gender identifiable data were removed, this increased to over 80 per cent.

Existing literature on online fraud and criminal offending generally focused on the quantitative aspects of measuring offending, which does not give an indication into the “why” component of the study: why are these offences being committed; why do these offenders pick particular victims; and why do the victims fall for such ruses? In this paper, the authors combined the qualitative responses obtained from those parties involved in the crimes themselves (the victims, the offenders and the nominated law enforcement agency) with a quantitative examination of the crime figures provided by an Australian law enforcement agency.

In England and Wales, legislation pertaining to hate crime recognizes hostility based on racial identity, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity. Discussions abound as to whether this legislation should also recognize hostility based on gender or misogyny. Taking a socio-legal analysis, the chapter examines hate crime, gender-based victimization and misogyny alongside the impact of victim identity construction, access to justice and the international nature of gendered harm. The chapter provides a comprehensive investigation of gender-based victimization in relation to targeted hostility to assess the potential for its inclusion in hate crime legislation in England and Wales.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the reporting intentions of traditional and cybercrime victimization, and the role of procedural justice in explaining sources of variation.

Using Amazon’s MTurk program for opt-in survey participation, 534 respondents across the USA considered ten victimization incidents and expressed their likelihood of reporting each incident to the police as well as their belief that the police would identify and arrest the offender.

As expected, reporting intentions increased with the seriousness of the incident for both traditional crime and cybercrime. However, reporting intentions were generally slightly higher for incidents that occurred in the physical world, as opposed to online. Likewise, beliefs that police could identify and arrest and offender were lower for cybercrime compared to traditional crime. Consistently, predictors of reporting to the police and belief in police effectiveness hinged heavily on procedural justice. Other predictors for these behaviors and beliefs are also discussed.

This study uniquely compares reporting intentions of potential victims of parallel victimizations occurring in-person and online, thus providing firm comparisons about reporting intentions and beliefs about police effectiveness in addressing traditional and cybercrime.

Purpose – In a digital environment, a simple accusation has the potential to permanently attach to a person’s identity. Our purpose here is to identify several types of accusations that persist in the internet environment: person to person accusations, media documented accusations, and accusations by the state. Approach – Using a typology of cases and legal analyses, the authors trace how accusations proliferate and persist across the internet and offer a set of social and legal explanations for the salience of public accusation online. Findings – The authors ultimately find that in contemporary society, the act of accusing increasingly replaces the desire or need for a fair and just outcome. The authors close by discussing implications for the accused and potential avenues for remedy. Originality – Our contribution bridges sociological and legal perspectives on the intersection of free speech, defamation, and digital media.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the findings and lessons that were learned from the many cases of internet fraud complaints that are gathered by the Federal Trade Commission in the USA. The implications that are contained in the behavior of the complaints and trends identified are critical for addressing all types of online criminal activities in the increasing world of cybercrimes.

Data for this paper are extracted from the Consumer Sentinel Network Data Handbook covering a period of 13 years. Using the raw data, the occurrences were plotted and trends (number of cycles, time between cycles, and leading state and lagging states) were identified. Descriptive statistics covering the 13 years were examined and discussed. Using 20002 as the base year, the rate of growth of each of the states were ranked annually and were tested for stability and predictability using non-parametric approaches.

The key findings are indigenous to the occurrences of online fraud complaints in the USA. However, as the leading nation with the best database on fraud complaints, the findings are mission critical to fraud prevention across the globe. Specifically, this study found that since 2002, there have been four distinct cycles. Each cycle is clearly noticeable because there is a rapid growth in the number of crime complaints in the beginning half of the period followed by a slowing down period. However, the speed of change from one cycle to the next is steeper and the time gap is faster. While it is true that from the perspective of all the 50 states, the ranks appear to change every year and thus are not stable. However, the majority of the changes are relatively small so their relative positions by rank are still predictable.

The paper extends existing understanding of online fraud occurrences in the USA. The findings are timely and based on longitudinal data that span over a decade. The four new cycles identified are critical to the body of knowledge. The observed change in time from one cycle to another and its changes from a mathematic to a geometric one are also new. The findings are invaluable to persons working in law enforcement related occupations (auditors, lawyers, forensic experts, among others) and who must deal with the increasing problem of online fraud and cybercrimes.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the association of cybercrime, autistic spectrum conditions and international law enforcement, the past decade having seen a significant growth in reported cybercrimes involving autistic individuals.

Interest in the profile of autism and cybercrime and the pathways whereby such offences are committed is shared by key law-enforcement agencies worldwide. This was explored by literature review and survey.

The authors identified a presence of persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders but no empirical evidence to suggest a prevalence or an over representation of autistic individuals committing cybercrime offences. At present profiling, pathways, and recording is under developed.

Paucity of literature on cybercrime and autism. Awareness of autism within law-enforcement agencies and the absence of key diagnostic and other data from the cross-section of agencies surveyed.

Improve detection, diversion, profiling, risk and pathways into cybercrime.

Better prediction of risk of cybercrime and improved responses.

Original paper believed to be the first to look at cybercrime and ASD in the context of international law enforcement.