Need for Debate on the Implications of Honeypot Data for Restrictive Deterrence Policies in Cyberspace

Effects of Automated Messages on Internet Users Attempting to Access “Barely Legal” Pornography

“…The present study on one complex form of cybercrime, CSEM, could not have succeeded without sustained collaboration between criminologists, IT experts, psychologists, criminal lawyers, and non-academic commercial partners. Perhaps where cybercrime is concerned, criminologists should not be expected to be “lighthouses that provide light and direction in uncertain, dark, and stormy times when little is known about a phenomenon and how to address it” (Bossler, 2017, p. 681) but simply experts who can make valuable contributions within interdisciplinary teams.…”

“…Honeypot designs are not without limitations (Bossler, 2017;Holt, 2017;Steinmetz, 2017;Testa et al, 2017). In particular, it is usually not possible to collect personal data on participants (socio-demographics, psychological characteristics) to determine the nature of the sample or to analyze between-subject effects.…”

Perceived Formal and Informal Sanctions in Deterring Cybercrime in a College Sample

“…In addition, industrialized nations have made substantial investments in the capability of law enforcement to investigate and apprehend offenders involved in cases with digital evidence (Holt et al, 2015). Most of these statutes and law enforcement efforts have received little, if any, empirical evaluations to examine their deterrent impact on cybercrime, which has led to a paucity of effective evidence-based strategies to reduce cybercrime (see Bossler, 2017; Koziarski & Lee, 2020, for discussion).…”

“…These findings call into question most nations’ attempts at deterring cybercrime, and crimes of the future, by the creation, modification, and enforcement of legislation. Future evaluations on the effectiveness of cybercrime prevention and deterrence efforts are sorely needed (Bossler, 2017).…”

“…Informal sanctions originating from ties with conventional others may have a larger role in deterring cybercrime than threatened formal sanctions by the state. Unfortunately, at this time, few empirical evaluations of cybercrime prevention efforts based on deterrence or other theoretical foundations exist (Bossler, 2017). Understanding the decision-making of potential cyber offenders, however, is a crucial first step in better formulating cybercrime prevention efforts around informal sanctions.…”