North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology
Article Title
Abstract
Sextortion is an increasingly prevalent internet crime, but it is not well-defined or understood. As new technology makes the challenge of combatting sextortion even more difficult, regulators should consider using a broad definition of sextortion to capture the myriad of ways that criminals are extorting victim with their sexual images. This recent development discusses the pervasiveness and methods of the crime, particularly in the context of technology, and the need for federal government action and legislation to promote public awareness of this disturbingly prevalent cyber-sex crime. This article recommends a sextortion attack plan that would involve: (1) enactment of a federal sextortion crime that properly classifies sextortion as a sex crime, (2) federally regulating and negotiating with internet companies to take greater responsibility for sextortion occurring on internet platforms, (3) establishing a non-profit clearinghouse under the federal statute to collect data and provide resources to both victims and law enforcement, and (4) using information gathered from the clearinghouse to create an effective sextortion awareness campaign.
First Page
177
Recommended Citation
Alessandra Carlton,
Sextortion: The Hybrid "Cyber-Sex" Crime,
21
N.C. J.L. & Tech.
177
(2020).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.unc.edu/ncjolt/vol21/iss3/5