Cybercrime offences - characteristics and peculiarities of modern criminal law

Računalniško-informacijski sistemi so popolnoma spremenili delovanje današnje družbe. Tako imenovana tehnološko-informacijska revolucija je drastično posegla v človeške odnose v družbi – predvsem na področje komunikacije in sporazumevanja med ljudmi. Računalniško-informacijski sistemi so se začeli uporabljati kot sredstva in pripomočki pri kaznivih dejanjih, obenem pa so se razvile tudi povsem nove pojavne oblike kibernetskih kaznivih dejanj. Glede na hitri razvoj informacijske tehnologije in rigidnost tradicionalnega kazenskega prava nas v disertaciji zanima, ali lahko to še sledi spremembam informacijske tehnologije. V postavljeni tezi zagovarjamo, da mora biti kazensko pravo še vedno zmožno podrobno zajeti, opredeliti in sankcionirati kazniva dejanja kibernetskega kriminala kljub njihovemu hitremu razvoju in specifičnosti. Kazensko pravo bo to bistveno lažje doseglo preko posebnega dela – torej posamičnih kaznivih dejanj – kot pa s spremembami splošnega dela. Če želimo preveriti, ali postavljena teza drži, je treba temeljito preučiti vse poznane pojavne oblike kaznivih dejanj kibernetskega kriminala in v okviru vsakega sklopa analizirati posebnosti in dogmatične probleme, ki jih nove informacijske tehnologije prinašajo kazenskemu pravu. V uvodnem poglavju posvetimo nekaj besed ciljem doktorske disertacije, temeljni tezi, predpostavkam in morebitnim omejitvam, predvidenim metodam raziskovanja in temeljnim pojmom. Nato na kratko nakažemo razvoj informacijske tehnologije, računalništva in kibernetskega kriminala, ki je v zadnjih tridesetih letih napredoval od najbolj preprostih do izredno kompleksnih kaznivih dejanj mednarodnih razsežnosti. Razvoj informacijske tehnologije nam prikaže, kako hitro se je ta razvila in v kako kratkem času so nastala specifična kazniva dejanja, danes poznana pod skupnim pojmom kibernetski kriminal. Sledi podrobna predstavitev Konvencije o kibernetski kriminaliteti in njenega Dodatnega protokola o obravnavi rasističnih in ksenofobičnih dejanj – temeljna mednarodno sprejeta dokumenta za potrebe uspešnega kazenskega pregona kibernetskega kriminala. Osrednji del disertacije predstavljajo sklopi kaznivih dejanj s predstavitvijo sodobnih trendov in pravnih problemov. Uvodno poglavje je namenjeno predstavitvi zavarovanih pravnih vrednot in dobrin ter dilemam protipravnosti kaznivih dejanj kibernetskega kriminala, nato pa v naslednjih trinajstih poglavjih (Protipravni dostop, Protipravno prestrezanje, Motenje podatkov, Motenje sistemov, Zloraba naprav, Računalniško ponarejanje, Računalniška goljufija, Kazniva dejanja, povezana z otroško pornografijo, Kazniva dejanja, povezana s kršitvijo avtorske in sorodnih pravic, Razžalitev in kazniva dejanja zoper čast in dobro ime, Grožnja preko informacijskega sistema, Zanikanje, hujše zmanjševanje pomena, odobravanje ali zagovarjanje genocida ali hudodelstev zoper človečnost, Razširjanje rasističnega in ksenofobičnega gradiva v informacijskih sistemih) obravnavamo temeljne pojavne oblike kaznivih dejanj kibernetskega kriminala, njihove posebnosti in sodobne dileme, ki se pojavljajo v kazenskem pravu. Uporabljamo tudi mednarodnopravno primerjavo s tujimi tako anglo-ameriškimi kot kontinentalnimi kazenskimi zakonodajami. V zaključku povzamemo temeljne ugotovitve, rešitve in dileme, napovemo trende kazenskega prava v povezavi s kibernetskim kriminalom v prihodnosti, potrdimo temeljne dispozicije in sprejmemo osnovno tezo disertacije.Computer-information systems have completely transformed the functionality of modern society. The so-called Information Technology Revolution has dramatically intervened in human relations in society - especially in communication and interaction between people. Today, computer-information systems are being used as resources and tools for committing criminal offences. We are also experiencing the development of new forms of cybercrime offences. Given the rapid development of information technology and the rigidity of the traditional criminal law, we are interested if criminal law can still follow the development in information technology. In our thesis we argue that criminal law, despite the rapid development and complexity of cybercrime offences, must still be able to cover, identify and sanction all the new forms of cybercrime offences. This goal can be achieved by adjusting specific criminal offences, which are more flexible than the rigid general part of criminal law. If we want to confirm our thesis, it is necessary to thoroughly examine all known forms of cybercrime offences and analyze specific dogmatic problems that information technology can pose to criminal law. In the introduction we dedicate a few words to the aims of our doctoral thesis, fundamental propositions, presumptions, possible limitations and provided methods of our research. We then briefly describe the development of information technology and cybercrime, which has progressed in the last thirty years from the most simple to very complex crimes of international dimensions. Development of information technology gave rise to new specific offences now known as cybercrime. Following is a detailed presentation of the Convention on Cybercrime and its Additional Protocol concerning the criminalization of a racist and xenophobic nature committed through computer systems – two basic internationally accepted documents for successful prosecution of cybercrime. Central part of the dissertation is an analysis of trends and legal problems of fundamental offences of cybercrime. The first part of this chapter is dedicated to protected legal virtues and to problems of illegality of cybercrime offences. We then analyse the basic forms of cybercrime offences, specifics and contemporary dilemmas that arise in today’s criminal law through thirteen chapters (Illegal accessIllegal interceptionData interferenceSystem interferenceMisuse of devicesComputer-related forgeryComputer-related fraudOffences related to child pornographyOffences related to infringements of copyright and related rightsRacist and xenophobic motivated insultRacist and xenophobic motivated threatDenial, gross minimization, approval or justification of genocide or crimes against humanityDissemination of racist and xenophobic material through computer systems). We are also using an international legal comparison approach, where we compare different criminal law legislations and criminal law statues in order to asses how different legal systems approach new forms of cybercrime offences. In conclusion we summarize the main findings, solutions and dilemmas, predict trends in criminal law in relation to cybercrime in the future, confirm given dispositions and accept the basic thesis of the dissertation