cybercrime

Definition

Criminal activities conducted via digital networks or the internet that impose societal costs exceeding the individual impact of the specific act.

Etymology

A compound of 'cyber-' (derived from the Greek 'kybernetes' meaning steersman or governor, later associated with 'cybernetics') and 'crime' (from the Latin 'crimen' meaning accusation or fault). It entered the English language in the late 20th century to describe illegal acts committed through computer systems.

In the news

The article classifies cybercrime as a 'public bad,' using it to illustrate that governments should focus on building institutional frameworks to mitigate systemic harms rather than just regulating the technology itself.

AI regulation answers the wrong question

Lowy Institute

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