Identity Theft in the Digital Age

Introduction:

In the digital age, cyberspace has become an essential apparatus for criminals in assisting themselves when executing their crimes. Among such digital technologies that have been used for identity crimes, the Internet has the highest rate of the usage. It is used for identity theft. Identity theft refers to acquiring and stealing identity information, breeding documents, concealing true identity, hijacking email or other accounts, or developing synthetic identity. In USA, 200,000 complaints were reported in 2004 pertaining to online identity theft. Online identity theft could be done through Phishing, Vishing or Smishing--terminologies used for the ways identities are stolen online. Moreover, identities are also stolen online by luring victims to provide personal information through advanced fee scams, Email, VoIP and SMS, Malware or pharming. Although identity theft has been prevalent in history, it has reached unparalleled heights in recent decades with the advancement of the Internet technology. My paper will define identity theft, present its various types, and illustrate how it affects the victims. Further, it will exemplify the historic references of identity theft, and relate how the Internet facilitates the execution of identity theft.

Annotated Bibliography:

1) Arnold, B. (2007). Identity crime management of serious crime program. Australian Federal Police College, Barton. Retrieved from http://www.caslon.com.au/publications/mosc2007.pdf

This is a report that focuses on identity crimes as a modern epidemic, which has gathered intensity due to the Internet and digital technologies. The author begins by defining what is meant by identity crime, down to different types of identity crimes, costs involved, and finally how identity theft can be avoided. The author argues that identity crimes are inevitable and cannot be erased from the world, but through different strategies, their occurrence can be decreased. The author is a renowned scholarly figure in Australia who has significantly contributed in the fields of technology law, privacy, biometrics, online security and commercial confidentiality. Although this report is written in the perspective of Australian law and policy, the author has also cited examples of identity crimes from UK, US and Canada. The reason why I have chosen this source is because it will be useful in starting my argument where I want to give examples of how identity crime, and specifically identity theft have been prevalent in the past too prior to the advent of internet.

2) Poster, M. (2007). The secret self. Cultural Studies, 21 (1), pp. 118-140.

In this article, the author argues that the advancement of digital technologies has made it more difficult to maintain one's privacy as the line between public and private are barely visible now. Poster considers