Theory and policy in online privacy

Two technological behemoths, the computer and the Internet, have greatly facilitated the ease of collecting, managing, processing, and sharing information about individuals. This has been beneficial in accomplishing some socially and economically valuable objectives such as preventing fraud, tracking illegal behavior, and introducing potential customers to goods and services in which they may be interested. Unfortunately, the unfettered accumulation and analysis of personal data—both knowingly and inadvertently while web browsing online—has also ushered in significant privacy concerns. This thought piece introduces the issue, provides case studies and relevant legislation to underscore its gravity, and presents two rough theoretical models to aid in construing the phenomenon of online privacy. Suggestions for how the interpretive frameworks can be tested are also provided, along with a general call for increased legislation of transactional activity in cyberspace. His research interests include computer crime, corporate security, and criminological theory.     

Trends and Patterns Among Music Pirates

The current work, based on data from a cross-sectional sample of approximately 2,000 randomly selected university students, seeks to clarify exactly who is most likely to engage in online music piracy. The extant knowledgebase on why individuals take part in this form of intellectual property is growing, but little is known about the type and background of those involved. This study therefore seeks to construct a profile of the typical music pirate by measuring the salience of demographic characteristics and the respondent's scope of overall participation in cyberspace-based activities. Findings indicated that respondents’ differentially participated in music piracy based on their gender, race, type of college major, proficiency in using the Internet, and variety of online participation. Policy solutions based on an attempt to clearly specify, reinforce, and enforce definitions of appropriate Internet use are consequently suggested to reduce the prevalence of piracy among a university population.     

Neutralizing Music Piracy: An Empirical Examination

The current study sought to test the viability of employing Sykes and Matza's (1957 Sykes , G. and D. Matza . 1957 . “Techniques of Neutralization: A Theory of Delinquency.” American Sociological Review 22 : 664 – 670 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) techniques of neutralization as a framework for understanding online music piracy. Using data from a sample of 2,032 undergraduates from a large Midwestern university, the relevance of neutralization theory is tested via multinomial logistic regression while controlling for other theoretical predictors and demographic variables. The findings indicated that greater acceptance of the techniques associated with denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of victim, and appeal to higher loyalties significantly predicted moderate levels of piracy participation. Furthermore, the effect of appeals to higher loyalty on piracy was found to be conditioned by the respondent's approval of the behavior. Overall, results suggested that university settings may unwittingly facilitate a climate for online piracy whereby students place a higher value on group norms rather than legal norms and do not consider the harms associated with the behavior.     

Bullying and Cyberbullying Offending Among US Youth: The Influence of Six Parenting Dimensions

Journal of Child and Family Studies - Bullying and cyberbullying prevention remain a major priority for schools, communities, and families, and research is clear that positive, constructive...