ABSTRACT
Explore the possibility of future cybercrime trends
Consider technology, including disruptive technologies, that will shape our future
Examine how the Internet and social media in particular will affect future social movements and radicalization
Contemplate the regulation of online spaces and off-line behavior
Assess possible future solutions to improve the global enforcement of cybercrime
The prior chapters of this work have documented the current landscape of cybercrime research, with an emphasis on both the strengths and limitations of this scholarship. Such an assessment is necessary to understand where our knowledge of cybercrime currently lies. This information also provides a basis to consider how the types of cybercrimes may change in the near future, along with how they are committed. Technology changes frequently, and so does the behavior of offenders. The motivations and underlying causes of offending may remain (see Chapter 3), but the means and practicalities of an offense may change dramatically. In this respect, many forms of cybercrime are somewhat distinct from other forms of street crime where offender behaviors may change incrementally in response to target hardening strategies (e.g. Copes & Cherbonneau, 2006; Mativat & Tremblay, 1997).