Criminology and cyber technologies

While an extensive body of criminological scholarship has examined activities in cyberspace deemed to constitute emergent forms of criminality, as well as the extent to which traditional criminological frameworks can account for their causes, this chapter engages with discursive shifts in response to the transformations brought about by cyber technologies. It builds on the idea that cyberspace constitutes a distinctive social environment with its own structures and affordances, which create conditions for unprecedented forms of criminal activity, and addresses the central question of what precisely is ‘cyber’ in cybercrime. This revised edition refines the organisation of the original chapter, incorporates new scholarship, and reflects on the expanding influence of social media and artificial intelligence technologies. While recognising the opportunities afforded by cyber technologies, the chapter adopts a critical stance towards their capacity to generate harm, deepen inequalities, and produce new forms of injustice.