**TL; DR - While living in a surveillance world is highly controversial, crime prevention has been boosted by the use of technological innovations like cameras, drones, information data applications, and many more**. It is true that cybercrime has been promoted by the advancement of technology and there are serious crimes connected to technology emerging every day. However, we have to look at the bigger picture and understand how technology has really helped monitor crime. One of the ways to do that is, for example, data mapping, which has extended to police use by 'providing police departments as well as federal agencies with a clear geographical look at the types of crime and the volume of crime that happens in an area' ( [Best Value Schools](https://www.bestvalueschools.com/lists/5-ways-technology-has-changed-our-ability-to-solve-crimes/) ). This makes it so much easier to document crime and provide assistance in a timely manner when needed. CCTV cameras and social media promote crime prevention as well, as they enable remote access to crucial information and facilitate intervention. Technology has even allowed remote crime scene access through '3D laser scanners' that 'enable accurate remote crime scene mapping' in case the investigators want to revisit crime scenes for accuracy and research ( [Social Innovation](https://social-innovation.hitachi/en-gb/stories/technology/hidden-weapon-in-the-fight-against-crime/) ). Drones are also a way for some police departments to monitor crime, since drones expand vision. For example, 'Devon and Cornwall Police' in the UK 'are using the drones for everything from missing person investigations to tracking suspects in firearms incidents and counter-terrorism operations' ( [Orange Business](https://www.orange-business.com/en/blogs/how-technology-helping-fight-against-crime) ). There are multiple ways that these technologies can backfire, but the benefits of tracking devices like these can help both prevent and solve criminality.

I agree in that technology helps us detect crime and to potentially more effectively prove that someone has committed a crime, however I think in some cases technology acts to incite more crime than before. By this I mean organised crime can be achieved so much more easily now, due to complex and multifaceted phones and social media servers that provide a platform for organising large scale crime. An example of this was the [top-secret online communications system](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53263310) that was used to illegally trade drugs and guns, busted by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) in July 2020. Although this site was found by the NCA, this high and easy level of communication and illegal exchange was possible due to the current high-tech state of our world. Also I think due to the current advancements in AI, many people enter into echo chambers of the same political or ideological rhetoric when they search online or through social media for information. I think this contributes people's belief systems becoming much more isolating and radical, which can lead to [offline hate crimes](https://academic.oup.com/bjc/article/60/1/93/5537169) like bullying or harassment of a specific group of innocent people. Therefore I think that our advances in technology also increase the likelihood of some types of crime, such as political, hate or organised crimes.

**TL;DR - Whilst technology does help detect crime, it has also resulted in new crimes flourishing.** [A few examples](https://study.com/academy/lesson/how-technology-has-changed-crime.html) are the selling of private information online, cyberbullying which can lead to suicide, phone and email scams, and more. Additionally, the perpetrators of these crimes generally have complete [anonymity](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/dangerous-new-crimes-are-emerging-technology-we-can-prevent-them-9780655.html) due to the advancements in technology. Technology can also contribute to existing crimes. For example, technology can be used to track an individual. There have been stalking cases where the perpetrator has installed cameras in the survivors home. Or information such as the address of an individual, checking if they are home and burgling when they are not. Furthering this, technology has resulted in a huge increase in child exploitation and sexual exploitation. There was a study in which an AI Filipino girl was named Sweetie was used to highlight this issue. Sweetie was developed in 2013 as part of research into webcam child sex. [Within a short time](https://www.terredeshommes.nl/en/programs/sweetie#:~:text=Who%20is%20Sweetie%3F,suggestive%20way%2C%20she%20engages%20back.), Sweetie was in touch with 1,000 men. Whilst technology helped identify these men, there were very few prosecutions. Child sexual exploitation is rampant due to technology, this including online rape of children and sexual exploitation online for men. [According to the FBI](https://www.terredeshommes.nl/en/programs/sweetie#:~:text=Who%20is%20Sweetie%3F,suggestive%20way%2C%20she%20engages%20back.), at any given moment of the day, around 750,000 men are seeking online sex with children. In the Philippines alone, local police estimate that tens of thousands of children are such victims. This would not be possible at this scale if it weren't for technology, and in this case technology did not help with convictions.

**TL;DR – While technology and advances in technology have made significant positive contributions in the fight towards crime, there is significant evidence that specifically shows social media being used as a tool to contribute ​negatively towards crime prevention.** Technology and in particular social media is everywhere. This means that almost anyone can (who can afford it) has access to it, including criminals. The website [theconversation.com]( https://theconversation.com/social-media-and-crime-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-66397), provides evidence of this when it informs us that while social media has created some positive opportunities where crime prevention is concerned, some new concerns have emerged in relation to crime itself. Most notably, it looks at *victimization on social media platforms* – which has become quite common, *by addressing it via two aspects, namely the bad and the ugly.* The bad: in the first instance, when looking at young people in particular, social media has been used to facilitate “new” crimes such as revenge porn which has led to calls for harsher punishments. In the second instance, the Kim Kardashian robbery emphasized how criminals now have easier access via social media platforms to track their potential victims (and their possessions). Additionally, “old” crimes such as, for example, harassment and threats, as well as, fraud and identity theft, have also been conducted in new ways through social media. Another interesting disadvantage in the way social media negatively presents itself in relation to crime prevention, can be seen in how it’s changing the nature of post-crime behavior. For example, so-called performance crimes – where offenders boast about their criminal behavior to their friends and followers online – have become increasingly common. Then lastly, “couch detectives” who are eager to identify suspects and often weigh in on social media also pose a real risk, as they can at the very least be distracting for law enforcement, or at the very worst lead to innocent people being wrongly accused. The ugly: the first aspect mentioned here is how trial by social media can pose a real threat to those working in the criminal justice system. For example, if photos are shared of the accused before an indictment, or hate groups are created, or if jurors share thoughts about a case online, these are all factors that can affect the outcome of the right to a fair trial. The second aspect looked at here, is how social media can also be used as a tool for victim-blaming. For example, as in the case of the Kardashian robbery, when immediately after the incident some Facebook and Twitter users argued about it expressing their varied opinions online. Furthermore, social media can also be used as a weapon by which the friends and families of victims of crime are exposed to secondary victimization. Evidently, the popularity of social media platforms have transformed the way we understand and experience crime and victimization. And as these platforms continue to change, new issues will emerge (and it will continue to do so). What we need to do to curb and ultimately put a stop to this negativity, is to somehow not just enforce transparent regulations and proper guidelines, but also enforce collaborative regulations that span across countries and continents.