¶ … identity theft due to an increase in Internet usage
Identity theft is on the rise. This research paper will explore how the increased use of the Internet has made identity theft (once a relatively rare crime) extremely common. It will hypothesize that the use of online technology by a wider pool of individuals has contributed to the explosion of identity theft and also that the integration of social networking websites has facilitated identity theft. In the most recent comprehensive study conducted by the federal government on the crime: "federal identity theft convictions increased 26% in 2007 from the year prior...According to the 'Identity Theft Task Force Report,' as many as 1,534 people were convicted in 2006, and a year later, 1,943 were convicted nationwide on various identity theft violations" (Kravets 2008).
The use of the Internet has become integral to the functioning of daily life, spanning from connecting with work for telecommuters, doing online banking, making payments, shopping, as well as basic communication with friends and family. The opportunity to gain access to personal data has likewise exploded. The interlinked nature...
One much-talked about article by Mat Honan, writer for Wired magazine recently revealed how the author became a victim. "In the space of one hour, my entire digital life was destroyed. First my Google account was taken over, then deleted. Next my Twitter account was compromised, and used as a platform to broadcast racist and homophobic messages. And worst of all, my AppleID account was broken into, and my hackers used it to remotely erase all of the data on my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook" (Honan 2012). Critical security flaws and carelessness create a perfect storm for users. Honan blames himself to some degree for the hacking: "My accounts were daisy-chained together. Getting into Amazon let my hackers get into my Apple ID account, which helped them get into Gmail, which gave them access to Twitter" (Honan 2012). However, if a writer for Wired magazine is easily 'hacked,' this begs the question: what hope is there for far less technologically-savvy Internet users? Moreover, identity theft is growing increasingly sophisticated. While some identity thieves are petty criminals or persons who merely want to use identity theft for 'lol'…
