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The Christchurch terrorist attack marked a significant change in the way online platforms are used and viewed. They are a catalyst in the way these platforms should be managed moving forward. On March 15, 2019, 28-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant, fatally shot 51 people in two mosques in Christchurch New Zealand which resulted in death, and 49 were injured.

Terrorism is linked to the idea of radicalisation which refers to a group associated with a particular ideology or agenda. In the case of the Christchurch attack, it is a violent act of extremism relating to performance crimes. Performance crimes are intertwined with the practices of recording, sharing, and uploading crime ‘in order to distribute the performance to new media audiences’. The Christchurch attack can be considered to be a performance crime due to the act being livestreamed by the gunman Tarrant on Facebook. He had also released a 74-page manifesto titled ‘The Great Replacement’ on Twitter and 8Chan.

This highlights that the crime was available on social media for longer than it should have been, when in contrast it should have never been able to be posted. This outlines the issues that surround the topic of how harmful social media platforms can be if misused. Such exposure can attract individuals with extremist views, perpetuating the cycle of terrorist recruitment.

This is in relation to theories such as the Routine Activity Theory (RAT) can be applied to the habit of seeing what is on the internet. Being vulnerable can lead to these loopholes where once a regular internet user can be sucked into viewing crime and extremist content online. This is why more should be done to prevent this from being viewed on social media platforms.

In some instances having a social media platform can be useful in raising awareness of threats and the types of ideologies individuals portray. Furthermore, law enforcement is also able to track down individuals, which is evident from the Christchurch attack due to the live stream being displayed, therefore the tracking of the preparator's location was able to be made. Exposure is a good thing to an extent. However, more should be done to establish community guidelines to prevent this type of content from being posted.

On June 13, 2019, Tarrent was faced with 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder, and one charge of engaging in a terrorist act. He had pleaded not guilty to all in relation to those charges regarding the Christchurch shooting. However, he was then jailed to life with no parole in 2020 during his trial.

The Christchurch massacre was a wake-up call, to law enforcement and governmental bodies, as well as the technology sector in trying to reduce and eliminate terrorist activity and extremist content online. This resulted in New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron launching “The Christchurch call” an initiative text, signed by eighteen national governments and eight major technology companies setting out steps to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online”. However, a challenge that is still to be faced is the dark web playing a significant role for extremist groups. By blocking this sort of content on regular social platforms, it is hard to be able to prevent it on the dark web, therefore far-right groups can just use this and continue their activities through the dark web.

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Jacinda Ardern says Christchurch mosque shootings were terrorist attack

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QAnon is a conspiracy theory that emerged from the internet on 28th October 2017. It became apparent from an online message board on 4chan where anonymous postings occurred. ‘Q’ had more than 4,000 posts explaining baseless conspiracy theories, as well as claiming to be a government insider who knew the truth about the power between Trump and vs “deep state”. Which revolves around theories that there is a secret plot created by a “deep state” against Donald Trump and his supporters.

The beliefs around QAnon are that government, celebrities, and business are all Satan-worshipping pedophiles who control the ‘world’ and that Trump was trying to expose the truth. These theories and beliefs have no real evidence to back them up by experts and authorities.

During the Coronavirus pandemic, the popularity of QAnon and its forums surged on mainstream social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. This period most definitely caused a shift in the amount of views and vulnerable people advocating for this as being online was the only thing people could do. QAnon believers believed that the idea of drinking bleach which they referred to as "Miracle Mineral Solution," could cure COVID-19. Furthermore, in 2020, Donald Trump suggested that disinfectants like bleach could be used to combat the virus by "injection inside or almost a cleaning." This statement helped boost QAnon's reach, particularly through Twitter, which was his main social media platform.

Without the use of social media and the internet, these sorts of cyber-enabled crimes would not be able to occur as rapidly and gain as much attraction as they have. QAnon was able to spread their theories using 4chan, and 8chan, and then proceeded to use closed Reddit forums to mainstream social media. Which therefore allowed their conspiracy to spread across the United States as well as worldwide.

This has become a problem due to believers committing crimes due to their far-right extremist views. Arrests were made evident in 2018 when, an Arizona resident blocked a bridge with an armored vehicle, which he had later pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge. Many more violent acts have been committed, as well as the impact these conspiracies have had on celebrities, politicians, and government officials. The constant threats and abuse embedded with viral hashtags have caused Twitter to take action against QAnon flagging it as potential “offline harm”.

This baseless theory has only “radicalised people into committing crimes and taking dangerous or violent actions that put children at risk.” which is what they state they are against. This has only led to the FBI labeling them as a potential domestic terrorism group using extremist violence. This will continue to pose challenges in the United States as well as worldwide nation governments due to the widespread attraction this has had. In terms of ‘terrorism crimes,’ QAnon has had the most influence in being able to spread their theories amongst people around the world rapidly, as well as having a figure in politics, Trump to help them in the acknowledgment of this being 'real'.

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QAnon: The conspiracy theory spreading fake news - BBC Newsnight

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Gamergate or #gamergate is an activist movement that started in August 2014. This was an influential movement in terms of raising awareness for online abuse, harassment, and violence against women. Concerning, gamergate and its conspiracy started by, game designers Zoe Quinn, Brianna Wu, feminist critic Anita Sarkeesian, and further a range of female game designers and speakers. These females were all targets of online abuse and harassment due to toxic masculinity on the internet.

The Gamergate campaign rose due to Zoe Quinn’s game release ‘Depression Quest’. This sparked an alarming amount of online sexual harassment, including rape threats, as well as death threats directed at her on Reddit and 4chan.

Her ex-boyfriend Eron Gjoni, had published a blog post exposing their inmate relationship, which was the main spark in her harassment. She had tried to sue him on defamation grounds due to his defamatory statements about their relationship. However, she had to drop the case against him as her harassment was only getting worse stating things like “if Eron goes to jail, I will hunt Zoe Quinn down and rape her”.

Zoe’s harassment became more frequent as soon as posts on 4chan went viral about her. She then was getting doxed, her address and personal photos were all published on the internet. Doxing is the intentional online exposure of individuals' private information without their consent, this is used to ruin a reputation.

It came to a point where the online sexual harassment and abuse would become physical and she could end up dead, her safety became an issue. All because of the misogynistic views against females who were seen to intrude on a masculine space.

Imaged-based abuse in relation to pornographic photoshopping and deep fakes was apparent in this whole Gamergate society, prevelance in this image-based abuse is evident that perpetrators are 54% males. This reinforces the gender inequalities that occur as it is more often than not gendered in nature. In terms of cyberbullying, doxing and online harassment have been the main focus in this particular case.

Overall there are acts put in place to criminalise online abuse which is amended in the Crimes Act 1958, which has created bullying as a punishmentable offence with 10 years maximum imprisonment.

The limitations include the challenges in community guidelines not being clear enough on removing content of this type of nature and who these posts come into contact with. In Zoe Quinn’s case, she had no choice but to drop her defamation case due to surges in harassment. Even though people were backing her up, but not doing enough. This demonstrates the justice system and law enforcement need to reevaluate and do better to protect victims like her that deserve justice.

A positive aspect to conclude is that female representation continues to persevere. This further raises awareness about misogynistic views and the damaging impact cybercrimes have on victims.

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Anita Sarkeesian on Gamergate and Sexism | The Scarlet Letter Reports

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Australia's major private health insurer Medibank Private was a target of a cyber-attack in October 2022. 9.7 million records were stolen, which included names, dates of birth, Medicare numbers, and medical information. Some of this information was published on the dark web.

This cyberattack falls under the category of cyber-enabled crimes, which are traditional crimes. This includes activities such as identity theft and phishing, which is what had occurred with Medibank. Identity theft typically involves impersonating someone online for personal or financial gain, while phishing is aimed at acquiring sensitive personal information. These actions are not only strictly against international laws but also highlight how easily information can be stolen and uploaded to the dark web.

In terms of the attack, the Australian federal government has publicly named Russian man Aleksandra Ermakov as the perpetrator. He is associated with a Russian cyber-crime gang called ‘REvil’ which has been linked to other cyber attacks across Europe, US, and the UK. This attack according to Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil describes it as  “the single most devastating cyber-attack we have experienced as a nation”. The Australian government is encouraging all Australians ‘to be vigilant about their cyber security arrangements to help make Australia a harder target against increasing cyber activities.

Moving forward, Aleksandra Ermakob has faced sanctions that will make it difficult for him to conduct business. Under Australian law, it is now a criminal offence to provide him with any assets, including cryptocurrency and ransom payments. Additionally, anyone caught dealing with him could face up to 10 years in prison. Mr. Ermakov has also been banned from traveling to Australia. In terms of his arrest, details have not yet been released.

Cyberattacks that involve identity theft and phishing may not always be a bad thing, especially in terms of police trying to retrieve information to catch criminals. Especially getting involved in the dark web, police may have to pretend and involve themselves in ‘criminal activity’ just to catch the preparators. However, this links back to how much the police can go just to catch these criminals and whether it is worth it. Ethical factors are to be considered.

In conclusion, the Medibank cyberattack has served as a wake-up call for Australians, emphasising the importance of enhanced cybersecurity measures. It also highlights the need for the government to explore additional prevention strategies and to consider further criminalisation of those who breach these measures.

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The never before used cyber sanctions include a travel ban and financial penalties for Aleksandr Ermakov

A Russian man has been named and sanctioned for his role in Australia's worst data breach.

The personal information of 9.7m Australians was stolen from the country's largest health insurer, Medibank, in late 2022.

Sensitive documents, including abortion records, were then posted online.

The cyber sanctions - the first of their kind in Australia - include financial penalties and a travel ban for Aleksandr Ermakov.

Little has been made public about Mr Ermakov, but Australian intelligence authorities say he is part of the infamous Russian cyber-crime gang REvil - which has been linked to attacks across Europe, the US and UK.

Announcing the measures on Tuesday, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil described the Medibank hack as "the single most devastating cyber-attack we have experienced as a nation".

"Literally millions of people having personal data about themselves, their family members, taken from them and cruelly placed online for others to see," she said.

"These people are cowards and scumbags... we'll unveil who you are and we'll make sure you're accountable."

Authorities are still investigating the breach, Ms O'Neil added, and more people may face penalties.

It is the first time the government has used cyber sanctions legislation, passed in 2021, which applies financial punishments to people involved in significant online attacks.

Australia has faced a string of large data breaches in recent years, but few - if any - have rocked the country like the Medibank hack.

The cyber criminals had stolen login details which granted them access to all of Medibank's customer data - including the medical records of everyone from athletes and media figures to the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

They began posting the data online after the insurer - with the government's support - refused to pay a ransom.

They first released a set of files named "good-list" and "naughty-list" which contained, among other things, people's health claims data - including records of treatment for mental health or addiction - as well as names, addresses, birthdates, and government ID numbers. Soon after they posted: "added one more file abortions.csv...", about some customer's end of pregnancy procedures.

Medibank at the time apologised for what it called the "malicious weaponisation" of private information, with CEO David Koczkaro warning that the data release could stop people from seeking medical assistance.

Several class actions - which argue the firms should have better protected such sensitive data - have since been launched.

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Medibank hack: Russian sanctioned over Australia's worst data breach

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Aleksandr Ermakov has been targeted for his role in a "devastating" cyber-attack which rattled the nation.

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Romance fraud is a type of cybercrime that is not talked about as much due to police for example not taking it seriously. These types of crimes are impactful for victims and no one does anything to help them.

The Tinder Swindler became a Netflix documentary about a man named Shimon Hayut, who is a convicted fraudster. He was on dating apps meeting multiple women, where they transferred loans in their name, which left the women having a whole lot of bills.

Shimon Hayut was able to continue doing his fraudulent acts as he had used different identities, which is known as identity theft. This involves using another individual's person information without consent, to obtain benefit. In Shimon's case, financial benefit. This can also be classified as phishing by assessing one's personal information like passwords and bank details.

The responsibilization of this is normally associated with victim blaming, as they often feel ashamed and embarrassed. This is evident through the victims like Cecile Fjellhøy who was featured on the Netflix show.

Cecile along with another victim Anna Rowe have set up 'LoveSaid' to raise awareness and fundraising to provide support programs for victims. They are not the only two victims who were not taken seriously enough by police and were told it was "boyfriend problems". Ceclie was conned by a man who went by the name of Simon Leviev and parted with $250,000 after his repeated requests for help with his security status as a “high-level diamond trader”, a fake job, which had been breached.

He had then served time in prison but when released continued operating scams in Germany.

It is evident by Lloyds Bank in February, romance scams increased by 30% last year with men making up 53% of cases and the 65 to 74 age group most likely to be targeted. As well as in 2020 Australia lost 37M in dating and romance fraud. This clearly outlines the financial toll it takes, however, the issue is not highlighting the victims' feelings and the trauma they go through.

Fjellhøy and Rowe are the two victims who want to make a difference and raise awareness to this type of cybercrime. Language like “Saying ‘you fell for a scam’ blames the victim. People don’t say ‘you fell for a rape’ or ‘you fell for a burglary’. No. Victims of romance fraud are targeted and exploited.”

The challenge with this type of crime is that there isn't enough awareness around this topic, as it may be seen as taboo. As well as victims do not feel supported and instead feel embarrassed due to what everyone has to say including law enforcement, as mentioned they did not take Fjellhøy or Rowe's case seriously.

This Netflix documentary has gained a lot of popularity as well as with "LoveSaid" the need to take action and support victims plays a significant role in the way romance fraud is looked at.

Shimon Hayut was found and arrested in 2019 and sentenced to 15 months in prison for fraud in Israel soon after.

Therefore signifies the seriousness of the crime as in the end, he could not escape prison.