Cybercrimes run the gamut—from student mischief to international terrorism. The increasingly severe penalties for these types of crimes serve as deterrents as more people become aware of the consequences they might face. Cybercrime causes major losses of time, money, and good reputations, and judges and prosecutors have no choice but to treat these crimes with utmost severity.
Substantive laws include crimes such as online gambling, child pornography, theft of intellectual property, fraud, and identity theft.
Crimes
- The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006
- Unauthorized publication or use of communications
- Use of interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor
- Criminal infringement of a copyright
- Misleading words or digital images on the Internet
- Misleading domain names on the Internet to deceive minors
- Certain activities relating to material constituting or containing child pornography
- Certain activities relating to material involving the sexual exploitation of minors
- Sexual exploitation of children
- Obscene visual representation of the sexual abuse of children
- Transportation of obscene matters for sale or distribution
- Importation or transportation of obscene matters
- Malicious mischief related to communications lines, stations, or systems
- Fraud by wire, radio, or television
- Fraud and related activity in connection with electronic mail
- Fraud and related activity in connection with computers
- Fraud and related activity in connection with access devices
- Aggravated identity theft
- Criminal offenses related to copyright
- Procedural laws refer to government agencies and their authority to get electronic data from Internet providers, third parties and computing devices.
Punishment
Penalties for these kinds of crimes carry fines, penalties, and prison sentences.
- Theft of telecommunications services carries fines and imprisonment.
- Illegally accessing computers results in jail sentences from six month to five years.
- Intercepting communications carries possible jail sentences one–five years.
- Computer hacking or changing source code could result in prison for as long as three years and/or a fine.
- Hacking a secure government information system carries penalties of up to 10 years in prison and high fines.