Playing with Fire or Playing it Safe: Insights into Cybercrime and Higher Education

                 The increasing use of digital technologies in every aspect of our lives has brought about an increase in cybercrime, which is by no means an invisible fallacy, but real criminal activities effected digitally and with real consequences in the physical world.  To be considered are the real dangers posed by such games as the blue whale challenge (Rossow, 2018) or the feelings of sadness, anger and depression suffered by victims of cyberbulling (McQuade III, 2007).  In a bid to educate the masses, the Police department in Malta has been engaging in televised exposure about internet safety.  Terms such as cyberoffence, cyberstalking or cyberbullying and other terminology that are oftentimes mentioned in relation to cybercrime, including harassment and online threats, identity theft and violation of privacy, piracy, academic dishonesty, trafficking in child pornography and intellectual property (Dennis, 2023; McQuade III, 2007), have become the order of the day.  With the permeation of digital technologies in the educational field, a discussion of improving digital literacies will by default entail an increased awareness of the challenges and risks posed by the digital, not least the various forms of cybercrime that may affect academic institutions.

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            As students and educators make increasing use of the internet for sourcing information for research and educational purposes as well as for everyday engagement via emails, forums, wikis, social media platforms, learning management systems (LMSs) and virtual learning environments (VLEs), a significant amount of data, “some of which might be personal, protected or confidential in nature, is then continuously exposed to security threats because e-Learning systems are open, distributed and interconnected” (Bandara et al., 2014, p. 728).  Such security threats may target the huge repositories of personal information that are held by higher education (HE) institutions about their staff and student populations as well as research data (Al-Alawi et al., 2020).  As such higher education nowadays must have cybersecurity measures in place that clarify how such information is being stored and adequately protect the said information.  Since certain information must necessarily be submitted to the educational institution, then it is the latter’s responsibility to ensure that they process such information securely and ethically.  Oftentimes we submit such information subject to terms and conditions that are put forward in tiny script and difficult wording; another step to get through in the process, but what exactly are we subscribing to when we insert that minor tick on the screen?  It is perhaps also the responsibility of the HE institution to provide clear and accurate guidelines about cybersecurity measures utilised and in so doing, increase awareness and educate all users, especially in view of the fact that “questions remain about whether existing cybersecurity systems are appropriately implemented to protect their assets, and to what extent various security provisions are commonly used” (Back and LaPrade, 2020, p. 26).  The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides a legal framework regulating the processing of data; however, the document is long and not exactly the kind of bedtime read that many of us would look forward to.  On a positive note, it is beneficial that instructors and students are increasingly aware of data protection issues.  As Bandara et al. (2014, p. 732) aptly state, “[p]rinciples, heads of schools/departments, all the academic staff and the IT support group in the Higher Education establishment should be clear about their own responsibilities and stay alert to the emerging and evolving threats and risks to data users”.

            In addition to the above, HE plays a vital role in putting forward cybercrime related knowledge and awareness since pedagogical activities are ongoingly mediated to one extent or another by digital technologies.  Evolution of digital literacies entails the need for such knowledge.  In the same way that it would be unthinkable for a pilot to fly a plane without knowledge of its safety features, it should be unthinkable that we navigate the digital without exploring issues of safety in this realm.  As such, HE institutions should encourage research related to cybercrime within academic organisations (especially in contexts where there is a gap in the knowledge) (Back & LaPrade, 2020, p. 26), promote computer literacy by embedding it in its syllabi, provide ongoing training to their teaching staff so that they in turn can be knowledgeable and supportive in their activities with students, as well as engage in related outreach programs that would benefit society at large (McQuade III, 2007).  The Internet itself provides endless and very useful sources of information about the subject at hand which educators and students alike could easily access.  Consider such an article as the one by McCabe (2023) which offers some valuable safety tips, but what a more holistic experience would HE be, if in dealing with a variety of subject areas, educators were simultaneously to promote an awareness of cybercrime and cybersecurity issues.  As McQuade III (2007) queries, “Where is it documented, after all, that cybersafety and cyberethics cannot be covered in English, history, health, or mathematics courses?”  Not to mention, that in using the myriad digital technologies throughout the educational journey, instructors and students alike should be aware of the reality of surveillance.  Every written email, every shared post and every digitally submitted assignment, is documented and stored, with little or no knowledge on the part of users as to how such information is being studied and used.  Whilst not denying the fruitfulness of collaboration enabled by digital technologies, “computer networks are enabling surveillance and control of individuals and society” (Harasim, 2017, p. 108).  We should be concerned about what we know about the repercussions of this, if at all.

              In sum, it would seem that all stakeholders involved in HE have a vested interest in promoting increased awareness of cybercrime and cybersecurity issues in education, not least because of all the information that is collected by the institutions themselves as well as that which is ongoingly shared in the educational process.  For this reason, pedagogies must necessarily concern themselves with the very means that ubiquitously inform the educational journey.  HE institutions should take the lead in promoting good habits by offering clarity enabled via adequate training and information sessions to their staff.  McQuade III (2007) insightfully mentions that “[e]ducators rightfully worry about another topic being heaped onto their pile of things to teach, especially when many of them are themselves unfamiliar with computer technology and the danger it poses”.  In truth however, this can be an opportunity for empowering teachers in their uptake of technology-enhanced education, so that in turn it is the students that can be equally empowered.  Is not this after all the primary concern of education?

References:

Al-Alawi, A. I., Mehrotra, A. & Abdulrahman Al-Bassam, S. (2020). Cybersecurity: Cybercrime Prevention in Higher Learning Institutions. Research Gate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339665070_Cybersecurity_Cybercrime_Prevention_in_Higher_Learning_Institutions

Back, S. & LaPrade, J. (2020). Cyber-situational crime prevention and the breadth of cybercrimes among higher education institutions. International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence and Cybercrime, 3(2), 25-47. https://www.doi.org/10.52306/RGWS2555

Bandara, I., Ioras, F., & Maher, K. (2014). Cyber Security Concerns In E-Learning Education. ICERI2014 Conference, 728–734.

Dennis, M. A. (2023, March 6). cybercrime. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/cybercrime

Harasim, L. (2017). Learning Theory and Online Technologies. Second Edition. Routledge.

McCabe, G. (2023, January 9). 11 tips to stay safe online. Times Higher Education. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/advice/11-tips-stay-safe-online

McQuade III, S. C. (2007, January 5). We Must Educate Young People About Cybercrime Before They Start College. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/we-must-educate-young-people-about-cybercrime-before-they-start-college/#annotations:6cJTcsXTEe2xScdn6ciIGg.

Rossow, A. (2018, February 28). Cyberbullying Taken to a Whole New Level: Enter The ‘Blue Whale Challenge. Forbes. Cyberbullying Taken To A Whole New Level: Enter The 'Blue Whale Challenge' (forbes.com)