Why is cybercrime so hard to measure?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The first problem with measuring cybercrimes is that there is not a universal definition of what a cybercrime is. Different agencies, governments, and country recognize different crimes and different elements to crimes as cybercrimes. Without this uniformity, it is hard to start collecting data and measuring cybercrime. Law enforcement can agree on two specific cybercrimes. One is high-tech or advanced cybercrime. These acts are focused on computer hardware or software. The other is cyber-enabled crimes. These crimes are more like tradition crimes of stealing from a bank account, extorting someone, abusing children, bullying, and financial fraud. The FBI takes cybercrimes very seriously because these types of crimes can destroy business, lives, and create terrorists. The National Crime Registry (UCR) Program with the Summary Reporting System (SRS) gather some information on cybercrimes, but because the reports do not note if the crime was committed using a computer or software, the report cannot measure or track cybercrime. The National Incident-Based Reporting System can record the same crimes, it cannot identify if the crime committed was traditional or cyber based. The Nation Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) will randomly add supplemental questions to their questionnaires about cybercrimes, but the data will only apply to people 12 and order, living in a dwelling. The NCVS will receive some data, but this cannot be representative of cybercrime in the United States or the world. Cybercrimes change the way crimes are viewed, is it still an unlawful touching if my computer hacks your computer? Is it a theft when I divert a fraction of a cent into a different bank account? These questions make it difficult to determine what is or is not a cybercrime and if we cannot determine if it is a crime, you cannot register it, track it, and try to predict trends.