Bridging realities: The Convergence of Ideology and Cybercrime

Episode Notes:

• Dr. Tom Holt discussed the nascent stages of cybercrime research during his doctoral studies, highlighting its evolution into a more recognized and competitive field.
• He emphasized the growth of cybercrime studies and the challenges of carving a niche within an expanding academic and professional landscape.
• Dr. Holt pointed out the potential of interdisciplinary collaboration between social sciences and computer science as crucial for advancing cybercrime research.
• The importance of online subcultures and ideological spaces in cybercrime dynamics was discussed, noting their influence on criminal activities and group formations.
• He delved into the realm of ideologically motivated cyber attacks, underscoring the need for better legal and enforcement frameworks to address such threats.
• Dr. Holt provided examples of cyber attacks by extremist groups, showing a strategic shift towards cyber tactics for ideological, not financial, reasons.
• The conversation highlighted the critical role of comprehensive data in understanding the scope and nature of cyberterrorism and ideological cyber attacks.
• Reflecting on his career, Dr. Holt offered insights on the importance of continuous learning and interdisciplinary collaboration for researchers in the cybercrime field.

About our guests:

Dr. Tom Holt

https://cj.msu.edu/directory/holt-thomas.html

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-holt-3242a322/

Papers or resources mentioned in this episode:

Cassandra Cross & Thomas J. Holt (2023) More than Money: Examining the Potential Exposure of Romance Fraud Victims to Identity Crime, Global Crime, 24:2, 107-121, DOI: 10.1080/17440572.2023.2185607

Holt, T. J., Turner, N. D., Freilich, J. D., & Chermak, S. M. (2022). Examining the Characteristics That Differentiate Jihadi-Associated Cyberattacks Using Routine Activities Theory. Social Science Computer Review, 40(6), 1614-1630. https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393211023324

Thomas J. Holt, Jin Ree Lee, Joshua D. Freilich, Steven M. Chermak, Johannes M. Bauer, Ruth Shillair& Arun Ross (2022) An Exploratory Analysis of the Characteristics of Ideologically Motivated Cyberattacks, Terrorism and Political Violence, 34:7, 1305-1320, DOI: 10.1080/09546553.2020.1777987

Thomas J. Holt, Joshua D. Freilich & Steven M. Chermak (2022) Examining the Online Expression of Ideology among Far-Right Extremist Forum Users, Terrorism and Political Violence, 34:2, 364-384,DOI: 10.1080/09546553.2019.1701446

Other:

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