The social risks of electronic extortion

Abstract

The blackmailthat girls are exposed to is the most dangerous form of cyber blackmail prevailing in society. It is one of the hidden crimes with wide-ranging social dimensions. The cases of blackmailing against girls by blackmailers of different forms become the top news and social networking sites.Accordingly, this shows the importance of the topic of this study, as it affects not only the girl but also all members of her family due to living in an Eastern society subject to authentic social traditions and customs. In this regard, cyber blackmail is one of the main risks facing social media users who do not have sufficient knowledge of information security.Thus, they will fall victim to various types of cyber blackmail, especially if the girl is threatened with private family photos or scandalous clips and pictures or private conversations, whether between the blackmailer and the victim or the girl's private conversations. So,hecoerces her using various ways and means, whether financial or moral.Hence, the problems of the Internet become increasing despite the rapid technological development prevalent in most Arab and Western societies. The electronic mobs' exploitation of personal accounts, especially those related to girls, as being targeted by those criminal groups, is performed using blackmailing with several social and psychological dimensions. Because of the importance of the topic, the efforts of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior are continuing to pursue and arrest the blackmailers who targeted teenage girlsafter deceiving them and obtaining their private pictures, then blackmailing them to obtain money or forcing them to do indecent acts that negatively affect the girl and her family. This research therefore attempts to identify the most important social risks of cyber blackmailing against girls, and to highlight the role of social awareness in confronting it.