Since last 2 decades we as a society have been seeing the rapid growth of social media. May it be face book, Instagram, Whatsapp, and endless more such platforms which created a space for humans to talk explore and show the best versions of themselves. Humans are social animals and social media gave them a source to explore their sociallness to an ultimate level.

Before coming to the point how social media is working let's see how social media has been used since last two decades. Social media was used to send mails and even small messages to your loved ones, than it evolved to a much bigger platform so that people can reach out to unknown people from around the world or maybe to people who are like them (sharing same interests). This created a free space for all the users but was it trust worthy or safe for all?

It created a space for everybody to send messages and show case their memories, photos or sharing their personal details like location, phone numbers etc. But was that safe enough or was that just a free pass for unknown people or not so friendly people to know your location, whereabouts and to even edit your pictures and make deep fakes out of them.

Social media emerged to the ultimate level of socialism, since last 5 years or majorly during Covid people consumed content like never before. They saw news, music, sports, socializing to complete strangers for hours, chat in different rooms and be friends with people even educate themselves or learn from others. But was all these things safe enough for the untrained minds, do they have any idea how powerful technology can be and how they can be scammed and taken advantage by people.

Normal consumers are here to have fun but there are people out there waiting for one wrong move from these strangers so that they can use the information or hand pick the information of such consumers and make profit out of it and these scams and fraud are more than money sometimes .

Cyber Crime And Its Nature:

Cyber crime is any crime committed over internet.

According to [BRITANNICA] According to [BRITANNICA],cyber crime is the use of computers as tools to achieve illegal ends, such as fraud, trafficking in child pornography and intellectual property, identitytheft, and invasion of privacy. Cybercrime, especially through the Internet, is becoming increasingly important as computers become central to commerce, entertainment, and government.[1]

One of the first cyber crimes was hacking which dates back around 1960's and 1970's and it was all because of the curiosity and desires of the people to explore the technology. With the advancement of internet cyber crime kept on growing and took more of a serious form In the late 1970's it all started with phone system hacking but now it has taken all sorts of forms (for an Example - malware to disrupt systems and steal information, phishing scams for money (online fraud), cyber terrorism to attack political and ideological goals. Nature of cyber crime is no different than the nature of actual crime. People get robbed, information leakage, harassment, public humiliation etc .Everything is same it's just the type of form in which it's taking place.

Social media and Cyber crime go Hand in Hand only because of the type and nature of the platform .It's tough to hack and do crime as technology is rising and improving day by day but it's not impossible for criminal minds to crack into ones system and get their details .

Common Cyber Crimes Are:
Identity theft, Phishing, cyber stalking, Ransom ware, Hacking, Infringing copyright, Illegal gambling, Selling illegal items online, Child pornography, Harassment , Blackmailing ,etc.

Social Media The Gate For Cyber Crime

Social media in as much as has brought about a change in the way people communicate and interrelate has equally become a hunting ground for cyber criminals. The scope, richness of the data that the users provide consciously or unconsciously and interconnectivity of these platforms make them viable targets for malevolent actors. Regarding this topic, this essay will essentially discuss how social media acts as an entry point of cybercrime, special weaknesses and forms of attack.

• Data Harvesting and Profiling - Data harvesting and profiling are some of the principal methods used by social media in the encouragement of cybercrime. People give out lots of details that can reveal their identity and other issues such as residential details, their age, and even their financial details on these platforms. Such data enables the attacker to build a detailed profile of the intended target, and therefore map out ways to attack the intended target effectively.
   
• Phishing and Social Engineering - While phishing involves creating fake emails or messages with the intent of duping people into divulging their identity details, social media has made it easier for cyber criminals to perpetrate this cyber-crime. Some potential details that could be obtained from an SMM profile include password information theft, which will give the attacker full control of an individual's account, identity theft, stalking, and hacking of someone's social media account.
   
• Malware Distribution - Social media also poses another threat in that it provides a platform through which malware can be spread through malicious downloads and links such as viruses, malware, and ransomware. Hacking groups could publish links to malicious websites or email attachments which, if opened or downloaded, would harm the owner's device and steal their information.
• Identity Theft - People's detailed personal information is often what thieves aim to steal. Once they get their hands on this data, they don't waste time. They start crafting fake identities and soon they're out there making off with things like credit cards and loans pretending to be someone else.
   
• Cyberbullying and Harassment - Social media has become a place where cyberbullying and harassment persist. Sites let anyone sign up and stay hidden behind a screen, which means some individuals behave badly without facing any consequences. Researchers have found that victims of cyberbullying often face tough emotional and psychological effects like feeling really down, worried all the time, and even thinking about suicide.

Case Law:
State of Tamil Nadu v. Suhas Katti
Facts: The accused was a family friend of the victim and wanted to marry her but she married another man which resulted in a Divorce. After her divorce, the accused persuaded her again and on her reluctance to marrying him, he took the course of harassment through the Internet. The accused opened a false e-mail account in the name of the victim and posted defamatory, obscene, and annoying information about the victim.

Decision: The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Egmore convicted the accused person .The accused was subjected to the Rigorous Imprisonment of 2 years along with a fine of Rs. 500 under Section 469 of the IPC, Simple Imprisonment of 1 year along with a fine of Rs. 500 under Section 509 of the IPC, and Rigorous Imprisonment of 2 years along with a fine of Rs. 4,000 under Section 67 of the IT Act[2]

Conclusion
It has been observed that while Social Media Platforms has its advantages of enhancing the social relations of people, it has the disadvantage of cybercrime. Cyber crimes do take place on internet but social media is the main gate for them as it provides scammers, cheaters and hackers a way to watch and access masses in huge numbers. Even with security walls provided by such platforms it's very easy for hackers and criminals to access the data as the users themselves make mistakes and tap on unknown links or get trapped under the false advertisement of monetary benefit and some crimes are related to personal acts of unethical behavior or actions such as child pornography, defamation, harassment , false guidance , etc .

The avoidance of placing any messages/posts that may be deemed sensitive on social network accounts is necessary, no downloading or interaction with any unknown link/attachment and use of secure and hard-to-crack passwords with other protective measures should be taken to safeguard oneself from becoming a victim of cyber crimes.

End Notes:

1. https://www.britannica.com/topic/cybercrime
2. https://enhelion.com/

Written By: Mikail Faridi
Email: [email protected]