Virtual worlds are no longer the backwater playgrounds of a few computer-adept programmers. They are multi-billion dollar worldwide industries spanning the fields of entertainment, communications, information technology, and increasingly law enforcement. In short, there’s money to be made, and with an expansive, loosely-regulated product like virtual worlds comes the potential for cybercrime.
According to the Norton Cybercrime Report, nearly 54 percent of the victims believe they are at fault when a cyber attack happens. Fueling the feeling of powerlessness is the notion that “faceless” criminals are the main perpetrators, as well as beliefs that cyber crooks won’t be brought to justice.
A very similar analogy to the cyberrealm at the turn of this century is the Western frontier in America at the turn of the 18th century. There was an age of brave exploration which was inevitably followed by an age of exploitation and suspension of human ideals. Those who arrived earlier either paved the road for the well-being of their followers or took advantage of those who were not as adapted to the climate or knowledgeable about the customs there. Eventually, industrialization brought the whole country forward. The incentives for committing crimes decreased in amount while the victims themselves generally became capable of defending themselves. It must be pointed out that crime has certainly not been wiped out in the US but it is no longer as fearsome and widespread as it once was.
