ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I discuss some of the recurring problems in trying to define cybercrime. I argue that far from this being an issue which has receded in importance, it remains central to more effective understanding and management of the problem. I suggest that continuing to frame cybercrime purely in terms of the technologies and tools which appear to underpin it is no longer sustainable – if it ever was. Not just because of continual changes in the kind of digital tools used to commit cybercrime but because key questions around agency and causality – seen most obviously in the familiar distinction between cybercrimes perceived as dependent upon digital tools and cybercrimes perceived to be merely enabled by digital tools – have never been satisfactorily resolved. I explore some of the typical problems with this distinction and consider the viability of alternative approaches to defining cybercrime – in particular conceptions more sensitive to its human factors. I conclude by considering whether we can ‘muddle on’ and ignore the problem of definition or whether a more radical approach – perhaps one which dispenses with the concept of cybercrime altogether – is now in order.
