Differentiating cyberbullies and Internet trolls by personality characteristics and self-esteem

Cyberbullying and internet trolling are both forms of online aggression or cyberharassment; however. research has yet to assess the prevalence of these behaviors in relationship to one another. In addition, the current study was the first to investigate whether individual differences and self-esteeem discerned between self reported cyberbullies and/or internet trolls ( i.e. Never engaged in either, Cyberbully-only, Troll-Only, Both Cyberbully and Troll). Of 308 respondents solicited from Mechanical Turk, 70 engaged in cyberbullying behaviors, 20 engaged in onlt trolling behaviors, 129 self-reported both behaviors, and 89 self-reported neither behavior. Results yielded low self-esteem, low conscientiousness, and low internal moral values for both cyberbullying and trolling behaviors. However, there were differentiating factors between individuals who only engaged in cyberbullyinh behaviors (high on neuroticism) vs. trolling-only behaviors (high on openness to experience). Individuals who engaged in both behaviors scored higher on extraversion, lower on agreeableness, and lower on self-esteem compared to individuals who engaged in neither behavior

Differentiating Cyberbullies and Internet Trolls by Personality Characteristics and Self-Esteem

Cyberbullying and internet trolling are both forms of online aggression or cyberharassment; however, research has yet to assess the prevalence of these behaviors in relationship to one another. In addition, the current study was the first to investigate whether individual differences and self-esteem discerned between self-reported cyberbullies and/or internet trolls (i.e., Never engaged in either, Cyberbully-only, Troll-only, Both Cyberbully and Troll). Of 308 respondents solicited from Mechanical Turk, 70 engaged in cyberbullying behaviors, 20 engaged in only trolling behaviors, 129 self-reported both behaviors, and 89 self-reported neither behavior. Results yielded low self-esteem, low conscientiousness, and low internal moral values for both cyberbullying and trolling behaviors. However, there were differentiating factors between individuals who only engaged in cyberbullying behaviors (high on neuroticism) vs. trolling-only behaviors (high on openness to experience). Individuals who engaged in both behaviors scored higher on extraversion, lower on agreeableness, and lower on self-esteem compared to individuals who engaged in neither behavior

Forensic Discoverability of iOS Vault Applications

Vault Applications are used to store potentially sensitive information on a smartphone; and are available on Android and iOS. The purpose of using these applications could be used to hide potential evidence or illicit photos. After comparing five different iOS photo vaults, each vault left evidence and photos behind. However, of the three forensic toolkits used, each produced different results in their scans of the phone. The media left behind was due to the photo vaults not protecting their information as claimed, and using basic obfuscation techniques in place of security controls. Future research will look at how newer security controls are implemented, and if they are easily discoverable as well

Using Internet Artifacts to Profile a Child Pornography Suspect

Digital evidence plays a crucial role in child pornography investigations. However, in the following case study, the authors argue that the behavioral analysis or “profiling” of digital evidence can also play a vital role in child pornography investigations. The following case study assessed the Internet Browsing History (Internet Explorer Bookmarks, Mozilla Bookmarks, and Mozilla History) from a suspected child pornography user’s computer. The suspect in this case claimed to be conducting an ad hoc law enforcement investigation. After the URLs were classified (Neutral; Adult Porn; Child Porn; Adult Dating sites; Pictures from Social Networking Profiles; Chat Sessions; Bestiality; Data Cleaning; Gay Porn), the Internet history files were statistically analyzed to determine prevalence and trends in Internet browsing. First, a frequency analysis was used to determine a baseline of online behavior. Results showed 54% (n = 3205) of the URLs were classified as “neutral” and 38.8% (n = 2265) of the URLs were classified as a porn website. Only 10.8% of the URLs were classified as child pornography websites. However when the IE history file was analyzed by visit, or “hit,” count, the Pictures/Profiles (31.5%) category had the highest visit count followed by Neutral (19.3%), Gay Porn (17%), and Child Porn (16.6%). When comparing the frequency of URLs to the Hit Count for each pornography type, it was noted that the accused was accessing gay porn, child porn, chat rooms, and picture profiles (i.e., from Facebook) more often than adult porn and neutral websites. The authors concluded that the suspect in this case was in fact a child pornography user and not an ad hoc investigator, and the findings from the behavioral analysis were admitted as evidence in the sentencing hearing for this case. The authors believe this case study illustrates the ability to conduct a behavioral analysis of digital evidence. More work is required to further validate the behavioral analysis process described, but the ability to infer the predilection for being a consumer of child pornography based on Internet artifacts may prove to be a powerful tool for investigators

Human Trafficking and Air Transportation

Human trafficking may seem like something that only happens somewhere far away, but it happens right here in Indiana and elsewhere in the Midwest. Human trafficking is different from smuggling (moving people) because trafficking involves exploitation. Come learn more about human trafficking and what airports can do to help stop it

Spanish Validation of the Child Pornography Offender Risk Tool

The current study examined the validity of the Child Pornography Offender Risk Tool (CPORT) in a sample of 304 men arrested in Spain for child pornography (CP) offenses, distinguishing between CP-exclusive offenders (n = 255) and CP offenders with other criminal involvement (n = 49). In our 5-year fixed follow-up analysis, we observed a 2.3% sexual recidivism rate for the whole sample (2.0% new CP offenses, 0.3% new contact sexual offenses). ROC analyses detected some relative predictive ability of the CPORT for CP recidivism outcomes when the Correlates of Admission of Sexual Interest in Children (CASIC) was used to replace missing CPORT Item 5. Specifically, both CPORT and CASIC total scores might help predict new CP offending among CP-exclusive offenders (AUC = .57 and .70 respectively). Calibration analyses found that the observed recidivism rates were much lower than the expected recidivism rates presented by the tool developers, and, thus, suggest caution over the use of these norms for applied risk assessment. Our findings provide, to some extent, preliminary evidence of CPORT cross-cultural validity

Development of A Professional Code of Ethics in Digital Forensics

Academics, government officials, and practitioners suggest the field of digital forensics is in need of a professional code of ethics. In response to this need, the authors developed and proposed a professional code of ethics in digital forensics. The current paper will discuss the process of developing the professional code of ethics, which included four sets of revisions based on feedback and suggestions provided by members of the digital forensic community. The final version of the Professional Code of Ethics in Digital Forensics includes eight statements, and we hope this is a step toward unifying the field of digital forensics as a profession

Criminological differences between child pornography offenders arrested in Spain

Background. Lack of studies on CP offenders from non-English speaking countries motivated the analysis of the profile of adult men arrested in Spain for such crimes (N = 347). Objective. The current study examined differences between groups of CP users according to their criminal history (i.e., CP-only offenders, CP offenders with other nonviolent or non-sexually violent crimes, and dual offenders). Methods. Analyses of case investigation files were performed across seven key areas: (1) sociodemographic characteristics, (2) criminological data, (3) characteristics of index CP offending, (4) characteristics of CP collections, (5) access to children, (6) indication of pedophilic or hebephilic interests, and (7) recidivism outcomes. Results. CP-only offenders presented with fewer prior criminal records and lower general (6.7%) and violent (1.1%) recidivism rates. They were also less likely to be arrested for CP production, although they had greater access to children living in their residence. CP offenders with other nonviolent or non-sexually violent crimes exhibited characteristics on a continuum between the other two groups. Dual offenders were more likely to have prior criminal records for sexual offenses and higher sexual recidivism rates (16.7%). 55.6% had produced their own CP material, and they were more likely to have content depicting boys. They were also more likely to admit or be diagnosed with pedophilic/hebephilic interests, and they also had the largest proportion of legal childrelated content (72.2%). Conclusions. Authors conclude there are significant differences between dual and CP-only offenders which suggests a need for specialized treatment and risk assessment tools

Integrating a Human-Centered Design Approach in a Human Trafficking Hackathon

Human trafficking is a global epidemic that results in grave violations of human rights for approximately 24.9 million people worldwide. The National Academy of Engineering states human-centered design is appropriate for addressing Grand Challenges; thus, the fact that human trafficking intersects with multiple UN agencies and sustainable development goals signifies the need for holistic, interdisciplinary approaches to this global epidemic. Design thinking supports the development of diverse ideas, which are critical for innovation. In this paper, we describe a university-wide event that applied a human-centered design approach to the problem of human trafficking. In this paper, we describe a human to develop potential solutions in mitigating/ending the crime of human trafficking. We organized a university event, inviting experts, faculty, students, staff, and the interested local community to demonstrate that higher education institutions can have an impactful role on human trafficking and potentially effect change. While previous hackathons utilize existing datasets, this was a novel approach in that no data was formally provided to the student teams. The human-centered design approach was successful in facilitating innovation. In addition, the diversity of majors and student team mentors were important in the variety of socio-technical solutions developed by the student teams

Analyzing the Ashley Madison Dataset?

Ashley Madison is an online dating website for individuals who are married or in a committed relationship and are interested in having an affair; their slogan is “Life is short – Have an affair.” In August 2015, the Ashley Madison website was hacked and customer information was publically posted on the Internet for the world to see. Journalists, researchers and bloggers began downloading and analyzing the breached data, but for some, ethical concerns were raised. By viewing the Ashley Madison dataset, are we legitimizing the manner in which the dataset was obtained, and are we as a society encouraging future data exploits