WHy?

But why should you care?



Whether you're skeptical of technology or never sign off, vast amounts of information about you can be obtained electronically. Email messages, deleted files, bank accounts, personal documents, and more are being transferred and recieved constantly and all have the potential to be obtained and misused. While crime has been around for ages, advances in industry has only allowed for more crafty and far reaching effects. Thousands of people have established online markets for many illegal things such as the sale of human beings for example. This is not just a local problem, with the international use of the net it is worldwide.


YOUR IDENTITY-You may not like it but you're kind of viewed as a number or sometimes summmed up with one. Think about your GPA, your credit score, salary range, and yes, your Social Security Card. If someone with a devious mind was able to obtain your SS#, birthdate, and address the possibilities are endless in determining the amount of havok they could wreck on your life. How could such informtion be obtained? Personal records can be bought online for a price and "dumpster diving" is nothing to ignore. All of a sudden someone is treating themselves to shrimp on a Caribbean cruise on your tab and you're denied a loan because of your alarming credit report.

CHILD EXPLOITATION On the Crime-Research.org site-"According to different sources child pornography is a 2-3 billion dollar a year industry." Unfortunately, the internet has made it easier for child predators to locate, band together, and share with each other. There are hidden forums and chats they discuss in and even entertainment community sites like MySpace is used to seek out victims. Digital Forensics can be applied to suspects' computers and help compile evidence to prosecute them.

ANARCHY Imagine the scene on New Years Eve, New York, specifically Times Square. Imagine that everyone assembled is counting down for the New Year. But the ball doesn't drop! Instead all the electricity goes out all over the nation! We're left in the dark. A far fetched thought perhaps but it's possible. Digital Forensics aids by helping to prepare and defend against such possible attacks.

Where do we go from here?