06-10, 09:20–09:40 (Europe/Vilnius), Panel Room I - I-414
A free, democratic and open EU provides endless opportunities for its people. However, growth is not without risk, especially in cyberspace, in the ubiquity of connected devices and rapid technological change. Criminality is also adapting, seeking opportunity and taking on new forms. While Europol’s IOCTA (2018) report described a number of positive legislative and technological developments, for example, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Network and Information Security (NIS) directive and 5G technology, it also highlighted that “all will in some way impact on our ability as law enforcement officers to effectively investigate cybercrime”. Europol emphasised the need for law enforcement to engage with policymakers, legislators and industry to “have a voice in how our society develops.”
In this sense, CC-Driver and RAYUELA projects (which are funded by the Horizon2020 EU Framework Programme) have brought together Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists, legal experts, computer scientists and engineers, to develop novel methodologies that allow better understanding the factors affecting online behaviour related to new ways of cyber criminality.
CC-DRIVER and RAYUELA projects are using a multidisciplinary approach to investigate, identify, understand and explain drivers of new forms of criminality, with Valencia Local Police acting as Liaison Officer. These projects focus on human factors that determine criminal behaviours such as cyber juvenile delinquency and adolescent hacking. Scientific investigation of drivers into cybercrime, impact of online disinhibition and the effect of youth decision-making processes will inform our evidence-based intervention, mitigation and deterrence strategies.
Ruben Fernandez is a Police Officer and Project Manager in Valencia Local Police (Project Management Division). He began his career as Law Enforcement Officer in Valencia Local Police in 2005, and since then he has participated in 7 H2020 projects, in matters such as emergency management of extreme climate events and the use of social media for public security purposes. He is currently managing CC-DRIVER and RAYUELA H2020 projects, both addressing cybercrime with a specific focus on juvenile cyberdelinquency.