Victoria Wang - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Victoria Wang

This report details the findings from a quantitative and qualitative survey with UK businesses on... more This report details the findings from a quantitative and qualitative survey with UK businesses on cyber security. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) commissioned the survey as part of the National Cyber Security Programme, following a previous comparable study by the Department

Computer Fraud & Security, 2020

This is the fifth annual survey of businesses and charities carried out by Ipsos Mori for the UK ... more This is the fifth annual survey of businesses and charities carried out by Ipsos Mori for the UK Government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). And it will be a surprise to no-one that it finds a worsening situation in which threats have evolved and increased in frequency.

Advanced cybercommunities are communities in which perfect surveillance is possible – software to... more Advanced cybercommunities are communities in which perfect surveillance is possible – software tools allow everything to be observed, recorded, archived, pored over at a later date and acted upon. Hence, one expects that these surveillance technologies ought to be heavily used and effective in controlling deviance in these cybercommunities. Drawing on our research in the cybercommunity Second Life, we observe that surveillance technologies are not heavily used to deal with deviance; instead, it is the power of relationships that form the fabric of social control and the regulation of deviance. This discovery questions the effectiveness of technology as a regulator, both in Second Life and in the real world, as well as evidences the importance of social bond as a mediator of deviance.

Surveillance & Society, 2011

International Journal of Criminology and Sociological Theory, Jun 12, 2013

We consider the prevailing views that cybercommunities have high levels of deviant behaviour due ... more We consider the prevailing views that cybercommunities have high levels of deviant behaviour due to three fundamental characteristics that they carry: (i) a considerable plurality of values; (ii) a lack of physicality; and (iii) a strong perception of anonymity. We analyse the roles that these three characteristics play in explaining the nature and frequency of deviance by examining the structural relationship between cybercommunities and the modern real world using Giddens' work on modernity. The analysis builds upon empirical investigations of the cybercommunity Second Life. Our research suggests that a cybercommunity like Second Life, far from being an abstract deviant community, is more accurately construed as a world of amplified human possibilities, one where constructed selfidentities can find rich interpersonal and social relationships.

Technology in Society, 2012

A phatic technology's purpose is to establish, develop and maintain personal and social relations... more A phatic technology's purpose is to establish, develop and maintain personal and social relationships. The invention and development of phatic technologies, and their influence on human society, have been accelerating rapidly in the past decade, exemplified by the growth of social networking technologies based on the Internet. To understand this acceleration we propose to analyse the phenomenon of phatic technologies with the aid of sociological concepts of the nature of contemporary society. Specifically, in this paper, we use some key notions in Giddens' theory of modernity as analytical tools to support and facilitate our argument that certain abstract social conditions that are characteristic of modernity amplify significantly the human need for, and thus the development of, phatic technologies.

International Journal of Virtual Communities and Social Networking, 2013

The growth of cybercommunities is a notable social phenomenon. Empirical studies of cybercommunit... more The growth of cybercommunities is a notable social phenomenon. Empirical studies of cybercommunities have described new forms of social behaviour that call for deeper conceptual analysis. Drawing on evidence from our research in the cybercommunity Second Life, the authors examine the sociology of cybercommunities through the lens of Giddens’ abstract theories of modernity. In particular, the authors suggest that an individual’s participation in cybercommunities may be gauged using a spectrum of individual responses to particular abstract conditions of modernity. These abstract conditions have interpretations ranging from seeking refuge from the vicissitudes of the real world to pursuing the playful heights of modernity.

ArXiv, 2017

Our machines, products, utilities, and environments have long been monitored by embedded software... more Our machines, products, utilities, and environments have long been monitored by embedded software systems. Our professional, commercial, social and personal lives are also subject to monitoring as they are mediated by software systems. Data on nearly everything now exists, waiting to be collected and analysed for all sorts of reasons. Given the rising tide of data we pose the questions: What is monitoring? Do diverse and disparate monitoring systems have anything in common? We attempt answer these questions by proposing an abstract conceptual framework for studying monitoring. We argue that it captures a structure common to many different monitoring practices, and that from it detailed formal models can be derived, customised to applications. The framework formalises the idea that monitoring is a process that observes the behaviour of people and objects in a context. The entities and their behaviours are represented by abstract data types and the observable attributes by logics. Sin...

Crime Science

This study analyses 300 cases of fraudulent activities against Dutch businesses, 100 from each of... more This study analyses 300 cases of fraudulent activities against Dutch businesses, 100 from each of the following three categories: CEO-fraud, fraudulent contract, and ghost invoice. We examine crime scripts, key characteristics of targeted businesses, and the relationship between input criminal effort and output financial benefit. Results indicate that whilst all CEO-frauds are conducted online, most of the fraudulent contracts and ghost invoices are undertaken via offline means. Both Routine Activity Theory and Rational Choice Model are evidenced-fraudsters clearly take the business size and seasonality into account, and the input criminal effort and output criminal benefit are positively correlated. Having vigilant employees is evidenced as the most effective way of fraud prevention, both online and offline.

SSRN Electronic Journal

Our lives are facilitated and mediated by software. Thanks to software, data on nearly everything... more Our lives are facilitated and mediated by software. Thanks to software, data on nearly everything can be generated, accessed and analysed for all sorts of reasons. Software technologies, combined with political and commercial ideas and practices, have led to a wide range of our activities being monitored, which is the source of concerns about surveillance and privacy. We pose the questions: What is monitoring? Do diverse and disparate monitoring systems have anything in common? What role does monitoring play in contested issues of surveillance and privacy? We are developing an abstract theory for studying monitoring that begins by capturing structures common to many different monitoring practices. The theory formalises the idea that monitoring is a process that observes the behaviour of people and objects in a context. Such entities and their behaviours can be represented by abstract data types and their observable attributes by logics. In this paper, we give a formal model of monitoring based on the idea that behaviour is modelled by streams of data, and apply the model to a social context: the monitoring of web usage by staff and members of an organisation.

Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society

Purpose This paper aims to investigate behavioural changes related to self-censorship (SC) in soc... more Purpose This paper aims to investigate behavioural changes related to self-censorship (SC) in social networking sites (SNSs) as new methods of online surveillance are introduced. In particular, it examines the relationships between SC and four related factors: privacy concerns (PC), privacy awareness (PA), perceived vulnerability (PV) and information management (IM). Design/methodology/approach A national wide survey was conducted in the UK (N = 519). The data were analysed to present both descriptive and inferential statistical findings. Findings The level of online SC increases as the level of privacy concern increases. The level of privacy concern increases as the levels of PA and PV increase and the level of effective IM decreases. Originality/value This study extends the literature on online SC, showing that PCs increase the level of SC in SNSs. It provides support for three antecedent factors to PC which impact upon levels of SC when communicating in SNSs.

Journal of Youth Studies

This paper reports on a recent research project undertaken in the UK that investigated how young ... more This paper reports on a recent research project undertaken in the UK that investigated how young people negotiate their identities and relationships online, including how they experience interventions by adults. Drawing on qualitative interviews with young people in two schools and a voluntary youth organisation in England, we argue that young people engage rather successfully in practices of self-governance. Our findings based on this sample of young people's agentic practice and care for their peers challenge some dominant perceptions of young people's online practices as risky and/or harmful to themselves and/or others. Furthermore we found a lack of evidence concerning the effectiveness of, and need for, interventions orientated around surveillance and zero tolerance.

Journal of Cybersecurity

Surveillance is recognized as a social phenomenon that is commonplace, employed by governments, c... more Surveillance is recognized as a social phenomenon that is commonplace, employed by governments, companies and communities for a wide variety of reasons. Surveillance is fundamental in cybersecurity as it provides tools for prevention and detection; it is also a source of controversies related to privacy and freedom. Building on general studies of surveillance, we identify and analyse certain concepts that are central to surveillance. To do this we employ formal methods based on elementary algebra. First, we show that disparate forms of surveillance have a common structure and can be unified by abstract mathematical concepts. The model shows that (i) finding identities and (ii) sorting identities into categories are fundamental in conceptualizing surveillance. Secondly, we develop a formal model that theorizes identity as abstract data that we call identifiers. The model views identity through the computational lens of the theory of abstract data types. We examine the ways identifiers depend upon each other; and show that the provenance of identifiers depends upon translations between systems of identifiers.

Journal of Cybersecurity, 2017

Surveillance is recognised as a social phenomenon that is commonplace, employed by governments, c... more Surveillance is recognised as a social phenomenon that is commonplace, employed by governments, companies and communities for a wide variety of reasons. Surveillance is fundamental in cybersecurity as it provides tools for prevention and detection; it is also a source of controversies related to privacy and freedom. Building on general studies of surveillance, we identify and analyse certain concepts that are central to surveillance. To do this we employ formal methods based on elementary algebra. First, we show that disparate forms of surveillance have a common structure and can be unified by abstract mathematical concepts. The model shows that (i) finding identities and (ii) sorting identities into categories are fundamental in conceptualising surveillance. Secondly, we develop a formal model that theorizes identity as abstract data that we call identifiers. The model views identity through the computational lens of the theory of abstract data types. We examine the ways identifier...

Security Journal, 2018

In recent years, the Darknet has become one of the most discussed topics in cyber security circle... more In recent years, the Darknet has become one of the most discussed topics in cyber security circles. Current academic studies and media reports tend to highlight how the anonymous nature of the Darknet is used to facilitate criminal activities. This paper reports on a recent research project in four Darknet forums that reveals a different aspect of the Darknet. Drawing on our qualitative fndings, we suggest that many users of the Darknet might not perceive it as intrinsically criminogenic, despite their acknowledgement of various kinds of criminal activity in this network. Further, our research participants emphasised on the achievement of constructive socio-political values through the use of the Darknet. This achievement is enabled by various characteristics that are rooted in the Darknet’s technological structure, such as anonymity, privacy, and the use of cryptocurrencies. These characteristics provide a wide range of opportunities for good as well as for evil.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2017

Information Polity

This paper explores some of the key barriers to Open Government Data (OGD) that responsible civil... more This paper explores some of the key barriers to Open Government Data (OGD) that responsible civil servants in the UK face as they try to comply with the UK-led OGD initiative. Empirically, we provide a quantitative analysis of the resources published on the government's central OGD portal, data.gov.uk, and a unique insight into the publishing of OGD in the UK based on 22 interviews with responsible individuals at the operational level of publishing OGD. Our findings reveal that while the barriers to open government information have been substantially reduced, the barriers to open government data persist. Even the most enthusiastic responsible individuals face considerable obstacles in publishing OGD. Further, a key barrier to OGD in the UK is its impression management strategy based on its informational rather than data orientation. Due to the UK's pioneering position in the OGD initiative, these findings are relevant to understanding and improving OGD programmes at local, national and international levels. The findings may, subsequently, lead to evidence-based strategies and policies.

International Journal of Forecasting

Technology in Society, 2016

In our contemporary society, phatic technologies routinely establish, develop and maintain person... more In our contemporary society, phatic technologies routinely establish, develop and maintain personal and emotional relationships across time and space. This phenomenon is reminiscent of Giddens' 1990 concept of abstract systems-made of symbolic tokens and expert systems-that disembed and re-embed public and professional life. In this paper, we develop social theory that aims to provide a better understanding of the prominent role of phatic technologies in society. We proceed in three stages: first, we critique and revise Giddens' vague concept of symbolic tokens and its implications for time/space distanciation by introducing novel concepts from measurement science. This focuses on forms of information that are relatively precise and communal. Secondly, building on our new formulation of abstract systems, we propose new sociological concepts, phatic systems and symbolic indicators, to enable social theory to explore and analyze the rise of phatic technologies. The concepts focus on the personal and emotional. Thirdly, reflecting on the fact that our digital society is held together by software, we introduce concepts from theoretical computer science to relate the abstract sociological idea of phatic systems and symbolic indicators to the concrete nature of digital data.