On the complexity of collaborative cyber crime investigations

This article considers the challenges faced by digital evidence specialists when collaborating with other specialists and agencies in other jurisdictions when investigating cyber crime. The opportunities, operational environment and modus operandi of a cyber criminal are considered, with a view to developing the skills and procedural support that investigators might usefully consider in order to respond more effectively to the investigation of cyber crimes across State boundaries

The Concept of “Socio-Technical System” in Social and Humanitarian Studies of the Late XX – Early XXI Century

В настоящее время многие повторяющиеся задачи автоматизируются с помощью технологий. В будущем технологии отойдут от этой вспомогательной роли и даже возьмут на себя задачи, которые сейчас могут выполнять только люди. Становится очевидным, что команды, состоящие из людей и машин, станут нормой. В этих командах машины также будут принимать решения, сталкиваясь с предсказуемыми процессами, в то время как сотрудники-люди должны будут реагировать в случае новых, сложных и непредвиденных ситуаций. Работники должны быть готовы к этому сотрудничеству между человеком и машиной, чтобы они воспринимали такие технологии, как искусственный интеллект, как обогащение своей трудовой жизни, а не как угрозу. Развитие социально-технического проектирования возможно за счет усиления заложенной в него системы ценностей, основанной на первостепенном внимании к правам и потребностям всех сотрудников. Понимание социотехнических принципов, целей и принципов будет способствовать нахождению ответов на многие общие будущие проблемыNowadays, many repetitive tasks are being automated with the help of technology. In the future, technology will move away from this supporting role and even take on tasks that only humans can now perform. It is becoming clear that human-machine teams will become the norm. In these teams, machines will also make decisions when confronted with predictable processes, while human employees will have to react in the event of new, complex and unforeseen situations. Workers need to be ready for this human-machine collaboration so that they perceive technologies like artificial intelligence as an enrichment for their working lives, rather than as a threat. The development of social and technical design is possible by strengthening the system of values embedded in it, based on paramount attention to the rights and needs of all employees. An understanding of sociotechnical principles, goals, and principles will contribute to finding answers to many common future problem

Complex methods of inquiry: structuring uncertainty

Organizational problem spaces can be viewed as complex, uncertain and ambiguous. They can also be understood as open problem spaces. As such, any engagement with them, and any effort to intervene in order to pursue desirable change, cannot be assumed to be just a matter of ‘complicatedness’. The issue is not just a need to cope with dynamics of system. It is also the perceptual ‘boundedness’ of multitudes of assumptions about scope of whole and limitations of organization as system. Furthermore, explicit attention to complexities of feedback loops is an extremely important aspect of any systemic discussion. How can we help teams of competent professionals to engage purposefully with such uncertain and ambiguous problem domains? The author suggests that we can only address this effectively through pragmatic efforts to incorporate a multitude of boundary-setting assumptions, explored as part of active (self-) reflection and practical engagement. This must be undertaken without resorting to an overly simplistic application of convergent thinking in our efforts to support problem solving. Instead, we need to pursue divergent thinking and ‘complexification’ in our effort to support problem resolving. The main contribution of this thesis is to present a collection of principles that taken together, provide support for this engagement ntervention. A core feature of this result is the framework for Strategic Systemic Thinking, which includes examples of pragmatically useful methods and tools

Systemic combinatory use of Brainstorming, Mind-Maps and Rich Pictures for analysis of complex problem spaces

For years tools and techniques such as Brainstorming, Mind-Maps and Rich Pictures have been used in both academic and professional practices to assist people with making sense of complex problem spaces. These tools have their supporters and in many cases their uses can be argued to be interchangeable. Seldom however have they been systematically applied in combination in theory or practice. Even though that these techniques have different analytical focal points their combined usage has not been distinctively elaborated upon. They have different strengths and weaknesses which supports their users in meaning shaping and practical reflective thinking in contextual analysis. Not only do these tools draw upon different historical backgrounds but they are also usually employed in a basis of different philosophical groundings. In this paper we will show how a philosophically common grounding can be achieved to combine the strengths of these three techniques. The discussion will include the outline of the complementarities of the different focal points of the techniques in application and describe their individual unique strengths. We will outline how the inherent weaknesses of each of the techniques can be overcome with the support of the other two. We will also demonstrate, with practical examples, a particular systemic approach to transfer and develop further the analysis from one technique to another in a systematic fashion. The approach described in this paper allows the combined techniques to be used in an organised and structured way to expand the sense-making and reflective ability of the analyst when dealing with uncertain and complex problem spaces