The Global Causes of Cybercrime and State Responsibilities. Towards an Integrated Interdisciplinary Theory

Information and communication technologies provide immediate means, motivations and opportunities for cybercrime. However, deeper cultural, social and psychological developments triggered by globalisation are the root causes of such motivations and opportunities. Successful strategies to prevent cybercrime cannot focus only on technological or infrastructural defences but must address these global developments. While scientific understanding and political awareness of such causes are still limited, studies from different disciplines, including sociology, criminology and psychology, allow to detect some global criminogenic patterns and to identify the state responsibilities of national governments for failing to address them adequately. This article integrates the findings of these studies to provide a preliminary interdisciplinary theory of the global causes of cybercrime and assess what national governments can do to mitigate them.