The Sharing Economy for Tackling Cybercrime: Uberization of Public-Private Partnerships

Description

This book explains Europol’s online sharing platforms efforts in three major cybercrime areas: ransomware, money laundering with cryptocurrencies, and online child sexual exploitation that Europol has already pushed private and public actors to cooperate.   Since the global financial crisis, online sharing economy platforms have made a significant impact on use of under-utilized resources. People who have a car (Uber) or a spare room (Airbnb) began to share their under-used assets with others for extra income. The success achieved by these online platforms that enable efficient use of limited resources raised a new discussion on whether a similar governance model can be implemented by public administrations where public resources are insufficient. Cybercrime is one of these fields where most law enforcement agencies have not got enough resources to tackle these crimes. They need the human and technical resources of the private sector for a safer society. This book, for the first time, seeks the answers to this question. It examines the feasibility of online sharing economy platforms to enhance public-private partnerships to tackle cybercrime. The European Union Policing Agency, Europol, is the first police organization to adopt a similar model to interact with policing agencies and private industry.   Drawing on extensive research, the book offers crucial insights for policymakers, researchers, and the public interested in new trends in sharing economy, innovative governance models, public-private partnerships, and cybercrime investigations. Preface Acknowledgements Contents About the Authors Abbreviations List of Figures List of Tables 1 About the Book 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Methodology 1.3 Outline of the Book References 2 Cybercrime, Public-Private Partnership and Europol 2.1 What is Cybercrime? 2.2 What is Public-Private Partnership? 2.3 Why is Public Private Partnership Needed? 2.3.1 Rapid Technological Developments and Talent Gap 2.3.2 Unable to Respond to All Cybercrime Enquiries 2.3.3 Increasing Cost of Cybercrime 2.3.4 The Complexity of Cyberspace 2.3.5 Private Sector Efficiency 2.4 What are the Barriers to Overcome? 2.4.1 Building Trust 2.4.2 Conflicting Goals and Normative Expectations 2.4.3 Clear Policy Formulation 2.4.4 Legal and Regulatory Framework 2.4.5 Financial Support 2.4.6 Institutional Arrangements 2.5 Europol Engagement with Public-Private Partnerships References 3 The Sharing Economy for a Public-Private Partnership 3.1 Introduction 3.2 The Sharing Economy 3.2.1 Low Barrier Accessibility 3.2.2 Transaction Cost 3.2.3 Building Trust 3.3 Conclusion References 4 Mitigating Ransomware Victimisation Through the Sharing Economy 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Background of the ‘No More Ransom’ Initiative 4.3 Low Barrier Accessibility of the ‘No More Ransom’ Initiative 4.4 Transaction Cost of the ‘No More Ransom’ Initiative 4.5 Trust Building in the ‘No More Ransom’ Initiative 4.6 Conclusion References 5 Tracing Crypto-Laundering Through the Sharing Economy 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Crypto-Laundering 5.3 Europol, Crypto-Laundering and Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies 5.4 Low Barrier Accessibility of Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies 5.5 Transaction Cost in Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies 5.6 Trust Building in Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies 5.7 Conclusion References 6 Crowdsourcing to Tackle Online Child Sexual Exploitation 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Background and Future of SCATO Platform 6.3 Crowdsourcing 6.4 Low Barrier Accessibility to the SCATO Platform 6.5 The Role of SCATO Platform in Reducing Transaction Cost 6.6 Trust Building in the SCATO Platform 6.7 Conclusion References 7 Conclusion References Appendix Interview Transcripts Online Interview 1 (08 July 2021) Security Lead of a Major Cybersecurity Company Online Interview 2 (09 July 2021) Senior Member of a Cybercrime Unit in the European Law Enforcement Agency Online Interview 3 (13 July 2021) Security Expert in a Leading Cybersecurity Company Online Interview 4 (21 March 2022) Former LEA Agent and Senior Investigation Officer in Global Cryptocurrency Exchange Online Interview 5 (21 March 2022) Senior European Law Enforcement Agency Official Responsible for Prevention of Online Child Sexual Exploitation Online Interview 6 (06 June 2022) Senior Official Responsible for Prevention of Online Child Sexual Exploitation Online Interview 7 (21 June 2022) Executive Director of a Policy Oriented Non-Governmental Organisation Aiming to Prevent Online Child Sexual Exploitation.