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Foreword

Document Cited in Related
AuthorIan Dyson
ProfessionCommissioner City of London Police
Pages7-8

Foreword

In 2014, when the first edition of this book was written, cash had just been toppled from its position at the top of the financial transactions food chain, as electronic forms of payments such as direct debits comprised 52% of all transactions. Cash remained the predominant choice for shoppers, however, until 2017 when its crown was taken by the debit card. In 5 years, this change has been seismic, and the indications are that contactless will very soon become the predominant form of cashless transaction. This illustrates the enormous benefit that the cyber and online world brings to our lives, the way it is transforming our lifestyles, and the ever-increasing pace of change. We live our lives increasingly online and even our most mundane of domestic appliances are now linked through the internet of things. These are all ways in which modern life is becoming more connected, more data dependent, and increasingly remote from the world in which much of our legislation was framed.

But it is not just financial crime where there is change. The growth in social media and the use by companies of big data to target advertising is enabling a rise in harassment and abuse online, and increasing social problems through pressure to keep ahead of trends or fashions. The line between legitimate and inappropriate manipulation of data is increasingly blurred.

The law faces two challenges. First, the growth of criminality in cyberspace, as the falling cost of acquiring malware and ransomware, coupled with the growth of a market in cybercriminal skills for hire, means a growth in cybercrime to mirror the growth in cyber use. Second, the...

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