Columbia Campus Cybercrimes Lawyer

Cybercrime from a criminal standpoint is fairly rare but is when people commit crimes through electronic means. Cybercrimes involve harassment such as cyberbullying, which occurs when somebody is constantly sending messages that are harmful or negative. It can also go all the way to revenge porn in which someone has posted pictures without the person’s knowledge or consent.

With technology and social media, people share information with their contacts. Cybercrimes can rise to a student conduct issue which occurs after an initial complaint. At the University of South Carolina, they have to take the Carolinian pledge, which is an oath of stability in which students are agreeing to treat their fellow students with respect and integrity, and everything that comes with being civil. Any negative talk online could result in a complaint with the office of student conduct and academic integrity.

If you are a student and you have been accused of committing a cybercrime, let a diligent student defense attorney help your case. A Columbia campus cybercrimes lawyer could review the evidence and help you build a defense against the charges.

Types of Cybercrimes

The most common cybercrimes that occur on campus are social media-related issues. Often, it is as simple as someone posting a very negative or outspoken thing against another student that crosses the threshold of the oath they took of being civil to one another. Additionally, there is online stalking in which someone sends direct messages or postings on people’s platforms, such as Facebook or Instagram. The difference between social media and online stalking is that the stalking is toward someone specifically reaching out through unwanted contact.

It is possible that stalking is the posting of nude pictures that were not consented to, commonly referred to as revenge porn. There also is piracy and copyright violation in which someone downloads illegal copyrighted material. It is against the rules of the university to do it, and they get caught using the university’s internet, server, and computer equipment to download.

There are various types of charges that can arise based on the misuse of technology. In addition to harassment, there are negative posts that are libelous and can be considered defamation. It could be somebody just posting negative things about other individuals, or it could be people posting something the other party has not consented to, such as a nude photograph.

Cybercrimes Investigations

Many campuses have an office of student conduct and academic integrity, and the internet police, which is the university IT department who have their own filters. They work together to look at social media-related issues, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. This includes online stalking in which someone is constantly e-mailing or following them on certain platforms and sending them text messages. It may be out of revenge, someone posting a photograph that was supposed to be private and without their consent.

A cybercrime investigation is harder to achieve than other campus investigations because there usually is not much more than a screenshot of what occurred. There are no apparent injuries, just accusations of wrongdoing. But with a thorough investigation, a person could prove their innocence, and because of that, it needs to be jumped on immediately to preserve evidence. That is why it is important that they hire a Columbia cybercrimes attorney as soon as possible.

It can be difficult to locate the source of electronically transmitted information. It depends on how much time has passed, who is involved, and who is doing the investigation. Sometimes they can obtain every bit of the information, other times there is very little they can get.

Let a Columbia Campus Cybercrimes Attorney Help

Experience is key in a student defense attorney because they know where and how to start and build the best defense possible. The student should contact an experienced criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. The Columba campus cybercrimes lawyer could build a strategic plan of defense, collect and preserve as much evidence as possible. Call today to get started building your defense.