Washington, DC (PRWEB) November 07, 2016
Paladin Capital Group is pleased to announce the results of an eleven-month investigation into “Youth Pathways into Cybercrime.” Paladin Capital Group funded the research project; Professor Mary Aiken (Strategic Advisor to Paladin and Academic Advisor to Europol) and Professor Julia Davidson led the project; and Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) supported the project.
Michael Steed, of Paladin Capital Group (Founder and Managing Partner), stated, “Paladin supports youth research, especially as it relates to creating better and more secure cyber societies for our children. The topics researched by Dr. Mary Aiken and others during this investigation are pertinent ones that must be focused on more intensely as cyber technologies are used to exploit youth and women worldwide.”
The researchers engaged with a range of stakeholders from law enforcement and mental health professionals, to youth educators, framing the work within the literature base in order to conduct the research. INTERPOL, the UK National Crime Agency, Europol, and the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation, amongst others, were key stakeholders in this research project.
The report outlines a breadth of topics explored in the investigation and presents the researchers’ findings over multiple sections of the report.
The research focuses on adolescent hackers and negative behaviors associated with juvenile criminality. The report considers four critical areas of understanding: criminology, developmental psychology, neurobiology, and the emerging realm of cyberpsychology, highlighting that these overlapping areas may be useful to law enforcement and industry in the identification, prevention, intervention, and, ultimately, conviction processes – and in turn the rehabilitation of youth hackers.
The report argues the importance of developing a 'Technology Quotient' (T.Q.) metric, in line with measurements of intelligence and emotion, in order to identify, nurture and mentor tech talented youth. It emphasizes the need to raise awareness of cyber juvenile delinquency in general, as well as to improve training and transparency in criminal justice processes and systems.
“We must take a developmental approach in the investigation of youth hacking behavior,” Dr. Mary Aiken stated in a conversation about the report. “We need to develop psychometric tests,” she continued, “to enable educators to identify youth tech skills at an early stage – we could then focus on developing and rewarding this talent, and importantly provide guidance and incentives for positive and constructive use of cyber skill sets.”
The report also highlights implications for youth who engage in criminal hacking behavior, for parents/caregivers of those youths, and for persons involved in related matters of policing and practice. It provides key recommendations for policy and training, along with multi-disciplinary prevention, intervention, and deterrence measures.
The report concludes with recommendations for further research to examine addictive type behaviors associated with youth hacking, along with collaboration between, and proactive work with, industry, educators, and reformed young hackers to develop a prototype educational awareness program that can be piloted and evaluated in schools.
Paladin has supported the work of Dr. Mary Aiken, who became a Strategic Advisor to Paladin in 2015. Most recently, Paladin and The Honorable and Mrs. H. Lee Buchanan hosted the Launch of The Cyber Effect, Dr. Aiken’s new book. That event took place two weeks ago, to the day.
To read the research report: http://www.paladincapgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Pathways-White-Paper-US-final-1.pdf
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About Paladin Capital Group
Paladin Capital Group was founded in 2001 and has offices in Washington DC, New York, London, and Silicon Valley. As a multi-stage investors, Paladin’s team focuses on best-of-breed companies with technologies, products, and services that meet the challenging global cyber security and digital infrastructure resilience needs for commercial and government customers. Paladin has over $1 billion in committed capital across multiple funds.
For more information on Paladin, follow the firm on Twitter @Paladincap and visit our website at http://www.paladincapgroup.com.
About Dr. Mary Aiken
Mary is a forensic cyber psychologist who specializes in the impact of technology on human behavior and has written on issues relating to the intersection where humans and technology collide.
She is a member of the Strategic Advisory Group to Paladin Capital Group, an Academic Advisor to the European Cyber Crime Centre at Europol, an Adjunct Associate Professor at University College Dublin, and has conducted research and training workshops with multiple global agencies, from INTERPOL to the FBI and the White House. Random House recently published her new book The Cyber Effect and Paladin supported the release of it in the U.S., along with The Honorable and Mrs. H. Lee Buchanan.
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For more information on Paladin Capital Group:
http://www.paladincapgroup.com/
For more information on Dr. Mary Aiken:
http://www.paladincapgroup.com/dr-mary-aikens-the-cyber-effect/
http://www.paladincapgroup.com/dr-mary-aiken-discusses-her-new-book-the-cyber-effect/
To purchase Dr. Mary Aiken’s book, The Cyber Effect:
https://www.amazon.com/Cyber-Effect-Pioneering-Cyberpsychologist-Explains/dp/0812997859
For a BBC news report on this project:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37752800
For a CNN interview with Dr. Mary Aiken:
http://snpy.tv/2fFngUb