Panorama de riesgos por el uso de la tecnología en América Latina

In recent decades, the use of information and communication technologies has generated social changes that evidence welfare and development in society. However, at the same time, it has also generated different types of problems, such as cyber addictions, computer crimes, the mediatization of sexuality, and problematic Internet use, among others. In spite of their reach and impact, the understanding of these problems is not broad and adequate enough to design of timely and effective intervention actions. This paper presents a systematic review of studies conducted in Latin America on these topics with the aim of contributing to their characterization and description and establishing reference points for studies and interventions. For this purpose, the problems were classified by type and class to later find articles on these issues published between 2010 and 2020 in journals indexed in Scopus. After analyzing 216 papers, it was concluded that these social problems associated with the use of ICTs are present in Latin America, however, research on these topics is scarce. Another important conclusion is that the existing studies are mostly focused on young people, disregarding the presence of these problems in other segments of the population. Finally, these problems should be further investigated to balance technological appropriation against the consequences of thoughtless, uncritical, and unlimited use of ICTs.El uso de las tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación ha generado, en décadas recientes, cambios sociales que evidencian bienestar y desarrollo en la sociedad. Pero, paralelamente, también se han manifestado diferentes tipos de problemáticas asociadas al uso tecnológico como las ciberadicciones, los delitos informáticos, la mediatización sexual, uso problemático de internet, entre otras, las cuales, a pesar de su alcance e impacto, carecen de una comprensión amplia y adecuada que permita el diseño de acciones de intervención oportunas y eficaces. Este artículo presenta una revisión sistemática de estudios realizados en América Latina sobre estas problemáticas con el objetivo de contribuir a su caracterización, descripción y construcción de referentes de estudio e intervención. Para esto, se definió inicialmente una caracterización de estas por tipos y clases para seguidamente buscar artículos publicados en Scopus entre el 2010 y 2020 sobre ellas. Luego de analizar 216 artículos, se evidenciaron que estas problemáticas sociales asociadas al uso de las TIC están presentes en el continente, pero con un déficit investigativo en varias de ellas. Otra conclusión importante es la concentración de estudios en la población joven, omitiendo la presencia de estas problemáticas en otros segmentos poblacionales. Finalmente, se reafirma la necesidad de ampliar los estudios en estas problemáticas para equilibrar la balanza entre la apropiación tecnológica y las consecuencias de uso irreflexivo, acrítico e ilimitado de las TIC.&nbsp

Law Enforcement Officers’ Perceptions in Combating Cybercrime at the Local Level

Cybercrime has become one of the fastest-growing concerns for law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, and municipal levels. This qualitative case study examined the perceptions of nine law enforcement officers’ from Texas regarding combating cybercrime at the local level. The conceptual framework was based on the structural contingency theory and Porter and Lawler’s theory of motivation. Data collection consisted of semistructured interviews, where member-checking helped to enhance the trustworthiness. In addition, data gathered from interview transcripts were inductively coded and used to organize data into categories to determine the themes in the study. Most of the participants in this study perceived that law enforcement agencies were not equipped to take a more prominent role in cybercrime investigations because of the lack of experience and resources. Participants also provided recommendations to address cybercrime at the local level, including helping community members understand cybercrime threats while empowering the public to become safer and more secure during online activity. Finally, many of the participants suggested that creating multiple cybercrime task forces located in major cities throughout the United States could serve as a method of combating cybercrime at the local level. This study’s positive social change implications include providing information to law enforcement agencies about potential gaps in combating cybercrime at the local level, along with recommendations for more streamlined cybercrime training for law enforcement officers to increase officer efficiencies in cybercrimes