Crime & Crime Prevention

 

The rise of technology has brought different types of crimes and new crimes. These are theft, fraud and violence against person. Hoever, technology has also brought ways to identify and prevent crimes.

Different Types of Technology Crime:

•  Internet theft such as scam and spam. Emails could lure people to websites that ask personal information such as names and credit card numbers. This could lead to identity theft which can use your identity to steal your money.
•  Internet fraud is a fraud scheme that takes place over the internet. This includes financial theft and identity theft.

Some of the new crimes include:

Text crime such as spam texting is the sending of unsolicited ads to cellphones and pagers via text messaging.  Spam texting has developed because of the strong popularity use of mobile phones. The article below shows how spam texting is dealt by authorities to stop people from doing it.

 

Phishing is also one of the new crimes.  This is the act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft and also used for financial theft.

How technology has changed how crime is committed and how it is detected?

• One way that the technology has changed how the crime is committed is it becomes quieter. Earlier technology crimes are visible for the reason that it is seen as genius. However the new technology crimes now are less visible and quieter. For example, in the past the crimes such as theft are harder to prevent and identify but now authorities can identify and prevent them by using tools such as CCTV. Therefore criminals are now conducting technology crimes quietly to avoid getting caught.
• On the other hand, technology has also changed how crime is detected. For example, in the past police didn't have tracking devices and surveillance systems to detect crimes and find criminals. Now they have the tools like gps for tracking and cctv to monitor people and prevent crimes.
• Crimes now are also detected through social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The article below explains how a thief was caught in the act and identified with the help of a picture posted on facebook.

• Technology can also influence the decision of court on how to manage crimes. The internet can now also be used in identifying and tracking people. These changes are shown with the articles below about how radio programmes can affect the decision of jury and how a website can help identify and trace people.

• New crimes such as cryber attacks are increasing, this is because cyber criminals are becoming the new money making. Many people are victims of cyber attacks and it is hard to prevent them. The article below explains how cyber-attacks are conducted.

• Criminals also use the internet to find and follow victims and then rob them. The article below shows how internet helps robbery and how did the authorities punish them.

Crime Prevention and Detection

DNA is now used for solving crimes. For example, DNA profiling can identify people, and in terms of crimes, it can be used to identify suspects.
CSI is also a strong tool for preventing crimes and detecting criminals. It is processing the crime scene and helps to understand how the crime is happened and identify suspects. It also gathers or looks at evidence than can be helpful in detecting criminals.
There are also now cyber detectives who can detect cyber crimes. Cyber Detection softwares are also now available to install to peoples computer to prevent cyber crime attacks like hacking, online theft and spam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entertainment & Leisure

How has the Entertainment and Leisure industry changed?

Access to Original Entertainment

Technology has massively influenced the entertainment and leisure world.

·         It has changed the way radio, film and television are broadcasted. This is because of the introduction of digital television, digital radio, digital films and digital games.

·         The digital recording has helped the professionals and beginners to record videos or sounds easily. They are also able to broadcast or upload their works online or broadcast it on radio and television.

·         Videos and Films have also changed because of technology. They are now available in different formats from DVD to HD-DVD and to Blu Ray. They can also be viewed online in different film viewing services.

·         Satellite and Freeview Television have also improved. People are now allowed to record television programmes easy and simple without the use of video recorder. There are now HD televisions and some companies are now offering 3D televisions. The television companies are also offering red button where users can click it if they want to watch a live coverage programmes or special TV offers.

Pirated Entertainment

·         The advantage of paying a supplier such as Apple for a legal music is it avoids people from breaking the law of downloading illegal music. It is also cheap and people can buy how many songs they like from an album without the need of buying the whole of it Another advantage is it supports the artists that people like.

·         The disadvantage of buying a pirated DVD from a market stall is it is illegal. It does not also guarantee that you will be able to get a high quality DVD.

·         The disadvantage of getting a pirate download of the latest Hollywood blockbuster before its UK release is it is illegal. It is also not a good quality and people might be affected of computer virus for downloading.

·         The main disadvantage of visiting an illicit music download site is the virus it spreads online that affect people’s computers or laptops.

·         The widespread illicit downloading can discourage the funding of new talent. This is because illegally downloading a song does not support the artist who owns it therefore this affects the funding of new talent.

Creating a website that allows people to illegally watch free movies can lead to legal disputes. A Sheffield Hallam University student faced copyrights offences in US courts for making a website that illegally allows people to watch tv programmes for free online. This shows that technology not only improved the entertainment and leisure indsutry but it also brings negative impacts.

 

Impact of games players

ICT has also a big impact in home games. Technology has made computer games so popular. Based on the New Scientist article, $3.8 thousand millions of games were sold in 1995 and increased to $7 thousand millions by 2003.

·         Computer games are so popular now because of the different wide range of games introduced. There are different games genres that are available to any age groups. They are fun to play and some are challenging which most people find fascinating.

·         Some researchers argue that violent computer games make some players more violent. A study from Brock University in Canada found that those teenagers who play violent games over a long period may become more likely to react aggressively to unintentional provocations.

·         Computer games may make people isolated especially when they play games that are addictive and also games that require time.

·         If players play too much of networked computer games, they may be more likely to be less social and spend their time playing. Some people find enough satisfaction by only playing computer games more than meeting their friends.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2214346/Violent-video-games-make-teens-aggressive-girls-affected-boys.html

SMS

SMS stands for short message service and is also called texting or text messaging. SMS messages or ‘texts’ are usually sent from one mobile phone to another, but can also be sent from some home phones. It is a quick and convenient way of sending a short message to someone.

How does SMS work?

Cell phones are always sending and receiving information through signals even when the phone isn't in use. The signals are sent and received from a cell phone tower or control channel. In order for the phone calls and messages to come through, the control channel needs to know which phone belongs to which phone number. Depending on the location of the cell phone, it will communicate with different towers as the user moves around the city, state, country and even the world. If the phone is unable to communicate with a tower, then it will not receive a signal and can't be used.

The control channel maps the path for SMS, or text messages. When a message is sent, it first must go through the nearby tower and then the SMS center. The SMSC receives the message and sends it to the appropriate tower closest to the location of the cell phone and then to the destination. SMS formats the message in a way that it is able to travel to and from the town, and still be received by the cell phone. SMS also sends data associated with the message, such as the length of the message, destination, format and time stamp.
The messages are sent using the Short Messaging Service, which limits each message to no more than 160 characters (including letters, spaces, and symbols).


How SMS changed and influenced the world?

Neil Papworth sent the first SMS message in 1992. Years later, sending short messages via mobile became a focus for telecoms companies in the UK. Vodafone launched text messaging in 1994 and this gained instant popularity. By January 2001, texts sent in a month hit a billion in the UK and last year, 150 trillion messages were sent.

SMS is widely used in businesss industry as it helps deliver good customer service. For example, it allows businesess to reach their customers and notify them with their new products or new offers. This is an easy and quick way to send information to their customers without the nees of calling them or the need to talk to them face to face.

The growth of text messaging has also affected the ability to write and speak in English. This has produced various ways of spelling of words like 'feb' for February and 'ur' for the word your. Text messaging or the use of mobile phones in general is strictly prohibited during school exams and lessons. This is because mobile phones can be used for cheating.

Text messaging is now the most popular way of communication. The traditional phone call and face to face communication have declined. However text messaging is under threat from applications such as Viber, WhatsApp, Line, Tango and many more that offer free text messaging, free phone call and free video call that can only be used with internet.



Source:
www.bbc.co.uk/webwise
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/9718336/Text-messaging-at-20-how-SMS-changed-the-world.html
http://www.ehow.co.uk/about_6501816_text-ability-write-speak-english_.html