All contemporary societies are shaped by their usage of technology, allowing for the review of information through different mediums, different methods of addressing issues that may arise, different methods of completing tasks, and even new and innovative means of entertaining and controlling the masses. In spite of the many different positives that the utilization of technology offers within contemporary societies, it is clear that the use of such technologies works to shape such societies in negative manners as well. The utilization of technologies within these societies results in new methods of identity theft (Mathews, 2013), alternative methods of bullying (Menesini, et al., 2012), and the centralized storing of individual information (Clarke, 1994). In reviewing how the United States holds up against some of these practices, and comparing that to the practices within other contemporary societies, it is possible to gain a better understanding of where the United States stands in comparison to other countries, on these topics.
One aspect of cyber bullying that many forget is the practice of impersonation, the method by which one individual may take on the identity of another for the purposes of harassing a third; typically the identity adopted is one that the individual being harassed will recognize, allowing the bullying to cut deeper and making the matter more personal (Menesini, et. al, 2012). The centralized storage of customer and consumer information provides another means of identity theft, given the fact that an individual needs only to access the database to gain a glut of information on a myriad of individuals, opening up the possibilities of identity theft and allowing the hacker or individual who has obtained this illicit information the ability to pick and choose the identity of their choice from the available information (Clarke, 1994).
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"Cross-Cultural Comparison".
In spite of the fact that identity theft has become more common in contemporary society, different countries, societies, and cultures all work to address the matter differently. In the United States, identity theft is a federal crime, with investigations completed by the FBI in conjunction with local police force, and the FTC (Mathews, 2013). Individuals who are found to have committed identity theft are subjected to fines and/or jail time depending on the severity of the acts that they have completed while utilizing the stolen identity (Mathews, 2013). The United States has a host of different laws associated with the matter of identity theft through an online medium, the combination of which all works to create a full and comprehensive net by which to trap criminals.
India primarily relies on the laws regarding identity theft as enacted by the United Nations, in conjunction with their one law associated with the matter, wherein punishment for identity theft is punished through imprisonment for up to three years and may include a fine (Mathews, 2013). In spite of the fact that online identity theft is rampant in both countries, the United States has a more effective and efficient manner for dealing with such crimes, while working at the same time to ensure that the penalties for the completion of these crimes work to detract individuals from completing these actions.
Technology has changed all of contemporary society in a wide variety of ways, some for the better and some for the worse. It is reassuring to see, however, that in spite of the fact that these changes are occurring around the globe, that the United States has a better handle on such areas of concern and consideration than other countries that are close in technological utilization when compared to the United States.
- Clarke, R. (1994). Human identification in information systems: Management challenges and public policy issues. Information Technology & People, 7(4), 6-37.
- Mathews, R. (2013). International identity theft: How the Internet revolutionized identity theft and the approaches the world’s nations are taking to combat it. Florida Journal Of International Law, 25(2), 311-329.
- Menesini, E., Nocentini, A., Palladino, B., Frisén, A., Berne, S., Ortega-Ruiz, R., Calmaestra J.,
Scheithauer, H., Schultze-Krumbholz, A., Luik, P., Naruskov, K., Blaya, C., Berthaud, J., & Smith, P. (2012). Cyberbullying definition among adolescents: a comparison across six European countries. Cyberpsychology, Behavior And Social Networking, 15(9), 455-463. doi:10.1089/cyber.2012.0040
