1.) How does cyber technology impact interactions between offenders and victims?

Cyber technology is constantly growing every single day and mostly for the good of society. But as cyber technology continues to grow, this will in turn create more and more unethical hackers and criminals to take advantage of people through the Internet. There have been plenty of stories of companies and businesses being hacked, but when it’s personally to someone else, it is a serious crime to that individual. Millions of people online through social media are being victimized by these cyber criminals and the number keeps on rising. Because these attacks are common on the Internet, it is extremely hard to pinpoint who, how, or when these attackers will begin attacking their prey. Offenders can take advantage in all sorts of ways such as through cyber stalking and cyber harassment. These forms of attacks are created to inflict pain, discomfort, and a sense of insecurity to the innocent individual. It may seem harmless at first to be teasing someone on the Internet, but it’s no game when that person becomes a victim. Stalking and harassing in my eyes is considered a crime and should be taken seriously whether its physical or digital. The worst type of criminals are the ones that enjoy the pleasure of bringing ruin and despair to people, especially if the victim is young. It’s a shame to consider that while technology has done amazing things to make life easier for all of us, it has become our worst enemy in trying to find ways to prevent this sort of criminal activity.

2. How should we approach the development of cyber-policy and -infrastructure given the “short arm” of predictive knowledge?

In all seriousness, and as the famous saying goes, when it comes to cybersecurity, the best defense is the best offense. Cybersecurity exists to protect data, whether it’s for a company or an individual, it is used in ways to thwart off the attacks of cyber hackers and criminals. The Internet is a place where a new reality is opened, who’s to say will happen? This “short arm” in my eyes tells us that there is so much elusiveness and unpredictableness that these hackers are using, that we need to prepare for the worst outcome at all times and keep our guard up, because that’s when most cyber criminals will strike. There’s a reason why so many companies and individuals become victimized. They lower their guard when they least expect it and bam! a company loss is at stake, or a person’s life is at risk. It may sound crazy and a bit exaggerated to say that we need to keep our eyes open, but until there’s better ways of fending off attacks, it would be wise for all people to practice cyber safety and hygiene. It’s not just about defending with VPNs and Firewalls, but also learning and studying about how attackers will strike and what should be done when it comes down to tooth and nail. I think it should be said that sooner or later, an attack will happen, but we can prepare for when that happens.