Social Work Now is the practice journal for Child, Youth and Family social workers. This article, co-written by ISG Director Liz Butterfield and NZ Police Superintendent Howard Broad, appeared in the April, 2000, issue of Social Work Now
Rachel is twelve years old and living in Auckland. She is thrilled with the new family computer, has tried visiting chatrooms for girls her age, and is excited that her second day of using e-mail has resulted in four new messages. Eagerly she clicks open her mail: one is from her father who is away on business in Timaru, one is from her cousin in Fiji and there is a nice long letter from her best friend across town. She is puzzled about the fourth, and opens it to read this message: "I think you are very pretty with your long brown hair. I like watching you."
We all know what this new phenomenon 'the Internet' is: a ribbon of electronic highway that extends around the world and across the street connecting computers and telephones. The Internet puts you in contact with people, more quickly and inexpensively than ever before. The Internet also means information. Lots of it. So much of it, and in so many different places, you cannot hope to view it all. Libraries, art galleries, official records and archives, company and business information, news reports - in fact any type of collected information that you could possibly imagine is accessible on the Net. Being informed has never been so easy.
However, social change always provides opportunities for the predatory behaviour that is characteristic of a small number of people. With the new technologies which support the Internet, those who cannot adjust rapidly, and that is almost all of us, are at risk from those who can and will deploy technology as a criminal weapon. The Internet allows for new ways of committing old sins, and for new variants of sins to be created. The Net facilitates the communication of those who conspire to commit traditional crimes. It has also generated new crimes such as 'cyber stalking', electronic identity fraud, virus attacks and 'denial of service' attacks.
There are those whose motivation is more personal gratification or the imposition of power over other people. The Internet abuser has been quick to see the potential of the medium for the publication of material which is injurious to the public good - such as pornography. The Internet also provides a forum for like-minded abusers to communicate and cooperate in their activities, and an easy, non-threatening means to contact potential victims.
The shift in technology has the potential to render laws and legal processes redundant. It is immediately apparent that crimes which can now easily transcend national borders might cause problems for law enforcement officials who work within authorities that are based on a national sovereignty. The risk posed by criminals increases with the extent that the international legal system is not aligned or is inherently weak in any respect.
Law enforcement agencies are also hampered by the degree to which users of the Internet can find anonymity. There is an ability to pose as another user and the ability to erase user origins and records of use. Putting together an evidential trail from crime to criminal - the time-honoured detective process - has become exponentially more difficult. In addition, the skills required to examine computers and analyse data for potential evidence are obtainable only at a significant premium, making it difficult for enforcement agencies to attract and retain staff with the requisite levels of knowledge. The computer crime literacy of traditional law enforcement agencies is an essential precondition for an effective response to Internet based crime and this will take time to develop.
NEED FOR AWARENESS
Though the Internet is an exciting new avenue of communication, there are risks of which both young people and those entrusted with their care need to be aware.
The area where most children and young people are at greatest risk is in chatrooms. On the Internet a person can choose any persona they want; there is no way to know if someone is being honest about his or her age, or even gender. In a chatroom environment, young people can often be very trusting and naive about others' intentions. A ten year old boy in Auckland may happily send his photo to his new friend, a nine year old boy in Christchurch, not knowing that he had actually just added his picture to the collection of, not a boy, but a 50-year-old convicted sex offender living just 20 kilometres away.
People assume a level of privacy on the Internet that doesn't exist; others can easily get your contact details and start sending you unwanted communications. This can include: unsolicited advertising, pornography and, in the most serious situations, disturbing or threatening messages. This threatening behaviour is often referred to as 'cyberstalking'. If messages are threatening, they clearly fall under either the Harassment Act or the Crimes Act and can be dealt with by the Police. Too often, though, young people do not seek the help that is available.
Another concern on the Net is the prolific quantity of legal and illegal pornography. Curiosity about pornography is a normal part of sexual development. In the old days of 'corner dairy porn' young people had a fairly good idea what lay behind the brown wrapper. On the Net, what they find may far exceed their expectations. Not only is the access as easy as typing in a search word like 'candy', but the volume of legal and illegal pornography available is staggering. Of particular concern is that they can easily find material more misogynist, sadistic, and violent than they ever imagined. We have yet to fully understand what effect extreme pornographic material has on young people.
What we do know for certain is that an estimated 25-30% of all those caught in New Zealand by the Department of Internal Affairs / Censorship Compliance trading illegal images of child pornography have been adolescent males. 'Trading' is not just downloading images but actually striking deals with other collectors to build a collection. These illegal images of children being sexually abused, tortured, even infants being raped, are illegal to possess in New Zealand, yet are just a few clicks of the mouse away. Young people will not stumble upon these images easily; they need to be directed. Paedophiles and those already involved in child porn can steer young people to the material, either in an attempt to normalise their own behaviour, or to groom those young people for abuse. For such a high percentage of offenders caught trading in child pornography here in New Zealand to be under-age is a real concern.
There is other legal material that is readily available on the Net that young people need to be wary of, such as: hate material, drug recipes and weapons and bomb designs. There is no 'filter' for information on the Internet, so we must help young people develop the skills to critically analyse what they come across and steer away from sites which may be unsafe or unethical.
One other issue that those working with young people need to be aware of is the possibility of becoming addicted to the Internet. When a young person spends 30-40 hours a week on the Net, their social relationships, their school work, even their family relationships may suffer. Things have become out of balance for that young person and they may need some assistance in re- balancing the virtual world of the Net with the real world in which they live.
The best strategy to effectively address all of the above concerns is to educate, while increasing legal penalties to be more effective deterrents. The New Zealand Internet Safety Kit was sent to every school
