Special Feature: Internet Safety

• NCJ Number: 309006
• Date Published: 2020
• Agencies: OJP
• Publication Type: Issue Overview

Annotation

This article provides a listing of information resources and toolkits that support internet safety and aim to reduce the risk of online victimization such as cyberbullying or cyberstalking.

Abstract

This Special Feature provides an overview of internet crimes and highlights some best practices for protecting personal information. It emphasizes that people of all ages are at risk, citing statistics that show adults older than 60 years as accounting for the most cybercrime complaints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and reporting the highest monetary losses in 2022. It notes that while older individuals are especially vulnerable to identity theft crimes, children and teenagers can also be vulnerable to being tricked by anonymous predators since youth tend to not recognize suspicious behavior or online activities. This Special Feature highlights information resources that address those internet crime challenges and support law enforcement investigation of crimes involving technology, including support of digital forensic investigation. The page with general information about online crimes includes resources for reporting elder fraud, protecting your privacy on apps, tech abuse since the Covid-19 pandemic, Dark Web law enforcement investigative needs, and more. The online safety for youth page includes resources to combat online child exploitation, adolescents’ exposure to online risks, and staying safe on social media or social network sites, among other resources. The page on cyberbullying and cyberstalking provides more publications and multimedia resources, giving a sample of available materials that have been released in recent years on school crime and safety indicators, viewing anti-immigrant hate online, cyberbullying in schools, and tech abuse in the pandemic, and more.