Cybercrime and Society

Extensively updated and expanded to reflect the evolving landscape of online crime, this fourth edition of Cybercrime and Society is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to this complex and fascinating topic.

But just what are cybercrimes? And who are the cybercriminals? You will learn how the internet and communication technologies present new challenges to individual and collective safety, social order and stability, economic prosperity and political liberty. From hacktivism and digital disobedience to online harassment and sexual exploitation, Cybercrime and Society is the definitive book for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying modules in cybercrime and cybersecurity.

The fourth edition covers new and contemporary issues such as AI and preventative approaches to counter cybercrimes and also includes two new chapters:

• Online Falsehoods provides coverage of fake news, disinformation, and conspiracies, each of which have rapidly become a major online problem with significant consequences

• Illegal Goods and Illicit Markets combines discussion of issues such as the trade in prohibited goods online and via crypto-markets with discussion of piracy and copyright crime

In addition to the extensive updating and expansion of the topics covered in the 2019 edition, all kinds of new developments are introduced and assessed. New case studies and examples are presented, and the international scope and coverage of the book has been further expanded, with treatment of the Canadian and Australian contexts being given greater consideration.

Majid Yar is Professor Emeritus of Criminology at Lancaster University.

Kevin F. Steinmetz is a Professor of Criminology at Kansas State University.

Author Biography

I am a sociologist, criminologist and cultural/media analyst, with more than two decades of experience spanning academic research, teaching, writing, editing, leadership and mentoring.

Educated at the Universities of York and Lancaster, I have held Faculty positions at the Universities of Lancaster, Kent, Keele and latterly Hull, where I was Professor of Sociology between 2008 and 2015.

I have authored more than half a dozen scholarly books and dozens of peer-reviewed articles, and also conducted social scientific research with and for government, charities and business organisations. I have served as an external examiner for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the UK, as well as assessing PhD theses in the UK and Australia across the fields of sociology, criminology and political theory. I serve on the Editorial Boards of a number of leading journals, regularly work with and advise academic publishers in the UK and United States, and provide editorial, advisory and mentoring services for clients ranging from undergraduate and post-graduate students to tenured Faculty.  

Dr. Kevin Steinmetz is a criminologist on faculty within the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work. He maintains multiple research interests but his primary area of study is technocrime and control.  In addition, Dr. Steinmetz examines racial inequalities within the criminal justice system as well as issues surrounding popular culture, crime, and crime control. His research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as The British Journal of Criminology, Theoretical Criminology,Deviant Behavior, Race & Justice, and Social Justice, to name a few.  Be sure to check out his books, Hacked: A Radical Approach to Hacker Culture and Crime (NYU Press), Technocrime and Criminological Theory (Routledge, co-edited with Matt R. Nobles), and the forthcoming third edition of Cybercrime & Society (Sage, co-authored with Majid Yar).