Cybercrime and the Law : An Analysis of Legal Governance in Europe

This book provides a comprehensive and synthetic analysis of the legal acts of the Council of Europe and the European Union affecting regulation of cybercrime in EU countries. It explains core ideas such as background, nomenclature, a definition of computer crime, technical aspects of cybercrime and a history of its criminalisation.

This book provides a comprehensive and synthetic analysis of the legal acts of the Council of Europe and the European Union affecting regulation of cybercrime in EU countries. Technical aspects relating to cybercrime are also discussed. The work explains core ideas, including background, nomenclature, a definition of computer crime and a history of its criminalisation. It examines the Council of Europe’s Convention on Cybercrime, the first international law act governing the subject, and the additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime, dealing with the criminalisation of computer-generated racist and xenophobic acts. The volume discusses European Union regulations, including applicable European Union laws on cybercrime such as the Council Framework Decision 2005/222/JHA and Directive 2013/40/EU on attacks against information systems, and Directive 2011/93/EU on Combating the Sexual Abuse and Sexual Exploitation of Children and Child Pornography. Finally, the work explores issues of cyberterrorism including the dissemination of terrorist content online. The book will be a valuable resource for academics, researchers and policy-makers working in the areas of criminal law, IT law, EU law and cyber security.