CYBERSPACE SAFETY RESEARCHING IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE Report of Short Term Scientific Mission Funded by COST ISO801 Hosted by Professor Slavomir Partycki, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Faculty of Social Sciences, Lublin, Poland 10 – 16 May 2009 Author: Vera Boronenko University of Daugavpils, Faculty of Social Sciences Institute of Social Investigations, Daugavpils, Latvia mailto: [email protected]. CONTENTS Acknowledgments...........................................................................................................................1 Purpose of the visit………………………………………………………………………………..1 Description of the work carried out during the visit……………………………………………....2 Description of the main results obtained………………………………………………………….2 Future collaboration with host institution………………………………………………………...5 Projected publications/articles resulting or to result from the STSM…………………………….5 Confirmation by the host institute of the successful execution of the mission…………………...6 ANNEXES Annex 1. V.Boronenko paper “Internet Using Intensity and Topicality of Users’ Safety in Cyber-Space in the Households of European Countries”………………………………………7 Acknowledgments I am most grateful to the Management Committee of the COST ISO801 and to the COST Administrative Secretariat for granting the funding to allow me to carry out this Short Term Scientific Mission in Poland. Especially I would like to thank Professor Peter Smith for supporting and Professor Slavomir Partycki and his colleagues for hosting my STSM. Special thanks to Igor Cvirkun for his assistance and warm reception. Purpose of the visit The general purpose of this STSM visit was to take part in international conference with mutual presentation and activate research co-operation between scientists from Central and Eastern Europe who are working with cyberspace safety problems, discussing these problems face-to-face and also including such scientists and researchers in the CAN network for integrating the scientific area of Western, Central and Eastern Europe.. 1

Description of the work carried out during the visit During my STSM visit to Poland I was taking part in the Xth International scientific conference „E-Economy - E-Society in the Central and Eastern Europe” and was presenting my paper „Internet Using Intensity and Actuality of Cyber-Safety in the Households Of European Countries” which was published in the conference proceedings (see Annex 1). I also have met the scientists from the Central and Eastern European countries who are specialized on the cybersafety and cyberbullying topic and have discussed some ideas of possible co-operation with them. I have met also the scientist from Azerbaijan Dr. Shafa Aliyev and we discussed possible cooperation between Europe and Azerbaijan and future plans according to scientific trips to Azerbaijan.

Description of the main results obtained A. Scientific results The main meaningful scientific result of this STSM was the knowing of many conference papers according to the topic of personal safety and communication culture in cyberspace. The studied papers were following: 1) Makarevich V. Peculiarities of Communicative Subculture of Latvian Internet Users. Summary of the paper: On January 13th 2009 there were disorders in Riga. Having taking part in the peaceful action of protest, about a thousand of young people (1/10 from the total number of participants) started attacking Saeim (the Parliament of Latvia), thus demonstrating the aggressive destructive behaviour. Once again the question arises: where to search for the sources of aggression? The personality formation takes place under the influence of the institutes of socialization. The Internet as the element of the system of the information and communication means is one of such institutes. Young people are active Internet users. The individual’s response reactions to the information being received can be one of the indicators of the Internet influence modality upon the user. These are his/her comments and expressions in the chats which are easily noticed and can be analyzed. 2) Lulkiewicz U. The Couchsurfing – Cyberculture Real or Virtual? Summary of the paper: Couchsurfing is searching allof the world for the people which can make cultural exchange and spread the tolerance and mutual understanding. The main goal of couchsurfing is making relations through opening the houses, hearts and life. The members of the club are trying to connect oceans, continents and different cultures together. 3) Polkowska D. E-relationships and On-line Love in Today’s Society. 2

Summary of the paper: Internet opens new opportunities for the lonely, shy people. They feel happy in virtual reality, because they are not alone. There are special web-sites, where they can find another lonely people. It’s possible to talk with friends around the world. Internet relationships are often converted into real relationships and sometimes leads to marriage. 4) Wegrzyn-Odzioba L. The Internet in the Context of Cross-Cultural Communication. As the Internet has been used explosively worldwide, it has the effects of cross-cultural communication. The process of globalization means that we cannot function in isolation but have to interact with the rest of the world for survival. The global nature of many widely diverse modern problems and issues such as the environment, governance of the Internet poverty, education and international terrorism call for cooperation between nations. Intercultural communication is no longer an option, but a necessity. In the paper are analyzed power, possibility and boundaries of the Internet in the context of cross-cultural communication. 5) Panteha-Khorassani Z. E-learning – Impact and Effect Using Technologies. Summary of the paper: The ever growing penetration of the Internet into the lives of more and more people at home, in school and in business the opportunities for technological advance are enormous. The challenge, however, is to provide a suitable means to disseminate information in a dynamic, open and distributed e-learning environment. E-learning is now becoming a widely accepted method of training and education. Within schools, colleges and organizations by transforming education. It provides opportunities for learning anytime, anywhere. There is a need to acknowledge that active learning within a technologically-based environment necessitates the establishment of a The Postmillenial Man in the E-world technology is not about replacing learner process, but enhancement and extension of such. 6) Simhovjch V. Ethical Problems of Belarusian E-business (B2C). Summary of the paper: The article reveals the problems of electronic commerce in Belarus with the focus on the ethical problems typical for the B2C model. Ethical problems as reflection of today’s crisis of values include those of mistrust to the Internet-shops, the sellers’ reluctance to serve, poor mental and psychological perception which results in the irresponsible attitude to customers etc. 7) Partycki S. “Self” in the Cyberspace of Net. Summary of the paper: The efforts of defining a place of “self” in the cyberspace based on a net architecture bring new problems of theoretical as well as methodological kind. The most crucial task becomes a perception of virtually embedded “self”. Does a human situated in a text-based environment 3

could use his subjective “self” and recreates it as well as transforms simultaneously by information, knowledge, power and prestige flows? The author makes an attempt of answer the given questions by referring to the chosen human in net conceptions. 8) Watroba W. The Postmillenial Man in the E-world. Summary of the paper: The postmillennial man is a citizen of the information society. He is sure that information is the key strategic resource, and, at the same time, information itself is becoming a commodity. Having an access to an Internet, he is becoming a member of virtual communities, and forms webs of personal relationships in cyberspace. 9) Prohorenko J. Cyberculture as a Variety of Subculture. Summary of the paper: The article deals with cyberculture, which is actively developing today. In Ukraine new socialcultural environment is formed. It is based on social-cultural transformations occurring in the society. Through the Internet the opportunity more intensive social-cultural transformations opens. The state of scientific developed of problem is reflected, essence and maintenance of concept of the “cyberculture”, is exposed outlined and grounded conceptual approach which allows to carry out a sociological analysis of the phenomenon of cyberculture. 10) Wassilew A. Computer-Mediated Communication – Some Social and Cultural Aspects. Summary of the paper: Computer technology – as a metaphor – has an influence on the way of the perception, the cognition and the understanding of the world (and as a result creates so-called ComputerMediated Culture). Interactivity allows to make stronger old connections and to create new ones, and to virtualize the society. The connections, realized through still newer interfaces, change the characters of relations between the communicating people too. It has an influence on the way of the perception of others, and the image of self as well. The knowledge is an effect of network interactions. The language, the metaphors and the discourse decide on the way of thinking and evaluating of all events, which we can observe. Simultanicity and timelessness of the time cause changes on all levels of reality – from the very acceleration, through an independence from the time in the off-line communication, till the changes in lifestyle. Conclusion: The analysis of conference papers allows us to conclude that cyber-safety topic is not popular within scientific area of Central and Eastern Europe. The reason of this can be relatively low using level of new technologies in these countries.

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B. Practical results The main practical result of this STSM was the finding and invitation of some more participants for CAN network from the Central and Eastern Europe. They were: 

Makarevich Valery, University of Daugavpils (Latvia);



Lulkiewicz Urszula, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (Poland);



Polkowska Dominika, M.Kuri-Sklodowski University (Poland);



Wegrzyn-Odzioba Liliana, M.Kuri-Sklodowski University (Poland);



Panteha-Khorassani

Zadeh,

University

of

Information

Technology

and

Management in Rzeszow (Poland); 

Simhovjch Valentina, Belorussian State Economic University (Belarus);



Partycki Slavomir, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (Poland);



Watroba Wieslaw, University of Wroclaw (Poland);



Prohorenko Jevgenia, I.Mechnikov National University of Odesa (Ukraine);



Wassilew Aleksander, Szkola Glowna Handlowa (Poland).

Iinformation about the ISO801 Action and its scientific and organizational essence were also distributed. Future collaboration with host institution It was negotiated that future co-operation between the Faculty of Social Sciences of The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin and the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Daugavpils will continue in the following main directions: 1) students and stuff exchange within the Erasmus programme (bilateral agreement between universities is already signed); 2) bilateral participating in scientific conferences organized by two abovementioned universities; 3) trying to realize some common projects dealt with cooperation with Caucasus countries, in particular with Azerbaijan and Georgia, where both universities have a good scientific and social contacts; 4) publishing the articles of scientists from The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin in “Social Sciences Bulletin” - the scientific issue of the Institute of Social Investigations of University of Daugavpils. Projected publications/articles resulting or to result from the STSM To result from this STSM my paper “Internet Using Intensity and Topicality of Users’ Safety in Cyberspace in the Households of European Countries” (see Annex 1) was published in proceedings of Xth International scientific conference “E-economics – E-society in the Central and Eastern Europe” organized by the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. 5

In this paper were analyzed 2 factors, which can influence topicality of users’ safety in cyber-space in the households of European countries – the share of households having access to the internet and individual using of the internet. The analysis of European statistics showed that integration of households of Central and Eastern Europe into cyber-space takes place very rapidly, though the level of internet using in these countries is rather low. It allows the author to make a conclusion that the problems of users’ safety in cyber-space, which are actively analysed in economically and informationally developed countries, soon will become rather topical for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe as well. The possibilities of publishing some papers of authors from the Central and Eastern Europe as well as Azerbaijan and Georgia in the scientific journal “Social Science Bulletin” of the Institute of Social Investigations, University of Daugavpils (Latvia) were discussed.

Confirmation by the host institute of the successful execution of the mission

I am, the Professor Slavomir Partycki, confirm the successful execution of the Short Term Scientific Mission of Vera Boronenko, researcher from the University of Daugavpils, at the Faculty of Social Sciences of The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin.

May 16, 2009 Signature:

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Annex 1. published in: „E-gospodarka, e-spoleczenstwo w Europie Srodkowej i Wschodniej” (red. S.Partycki). Lublin: KUL, 2009. pp. 327-331. INTERNET USING INTENSITY ANDTOPICALITY OF USERS’ SAFETY IN CYBERSPACEIN THE HOUSEHOLDS OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES Vera Boronenko, Institute of Social Investigations, Daugavpils University (Latvia) Both European and world science actively researches the problems of safe internet, safe cyber-space, as well as the ones of cyberbullying, internet-bullying, online bullying, cyber harassment, cyberstalking and other similar activities, which in spite of different definitions nevertheless can be included in one class of individual social activity – deviant activities in cyber-space against other people [1, p.148-169; 2, p.89-112; 3, p.129-156; 4, p.1119-1133; 5, p.69-77; 6, p.89-95]. The author also takes part in 4 years’ long scientific collaboration Action of ESF COST programme „Cyberbullying: coping with negative and enhancing positive uses of new technologies, in relationships in educational settings” which aims at sharing expertise on cyberbullying in educational settings, as well as coping with negative and enhancing positive uses of new technologies. It will be implemented across a wide range of European countries, stimulating the collaboration between scientists and practitioners in this area. As the social topicality and importance of such problems depend, first of all, on the intensity of using the internet in the households of European countries, EUROSTAT has some statistical data concerning both households having access to the internet and individual using of the internet. It is very important to take into consideration that in households, which have an access to the internet, there may be only one or two persons who really use it. But also in this case the problems of safe internet may be topical for the household as a whole due to close social relationships between members of households. Table 1. Households having access to the internet, European countries (EU 27), %, 2003-2008, ranged by indicators of 2008 Countries Netherlands Denmark Sweden Finland UK Luxemburg Belgium France Malta Germany Estonia Austria Slovenia Spain Ireland Lithuania Hungary Latvia Portugal Poland Czech Rep. Slovakia Cyprus Italy Greece Bulgaria Romania

Growth from 2003 to 2008*, % 270 196 78 450 464 771 46 90 139 511 170 440 400 200 4100 2050 600 700 363 375 3500 775 1550 138 2100 425 160

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

74 74 71 66 62 61 60 57 55 55 54 54 50 45 43 43 42 40 39 38 36 35 33 31 22 21 13

74 70 67 63 57 58 56 43 44 50 48 46 44 39 31 34 33 32 30 30 28 27 20 25 7 15 8

66 63 51 53 44 44 48 30 41 34 37 33 34 29 13 19 22 23 24 22 17 11 12 16 4 10 5

54 51 40 36 32 33 41 23 23 30 23 19 21 7 12 11 14 20 16 5 7 4 13 1 -

36 21 16 16 18 20 16 10 15 3 4 6 5 12 8 4 4 2 0 4 -

20 25 12 11 7 9 10 1 2 8 1 1 -

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* For some countries, growth from 2004(2005) to 2008 Source: EUROSTAT data

As Table 1 shows, the share of households having access to the internet is larger in economically high developed European countries – generally in the countries of EU15. But other tendency shows that the share of households having access to the internet has rapidly increased – in some countries, it is 2-4 times higher than the previous year all the period long. The most significant increase was in Ireland (4500%), Czech Republic (3500%), Greece (2100%), Lithuania (2050%) and Cyprus (1550%). Besides, in economically high developed countries such as Finland, United Kingdom, Luxemburg, Germany, Austria, there is still very high increase in the share of households having access to the internet – 400-500% for recent 6 years. Yet another factor, which can explain and influence topicality of users’ safety in cyberspace in the households of European countries, is the level of individuals’ internet skills. Netherlands

Finland Sweden

United Kingdom

Belgium

France

Latvia Ireland

Hungary

Lithuania

Malta Italy

Greece

Romania

12 33 39 16 12 34 37 17 11 29 39 21 14 37 28 21 8 25 45 22 6 27 41 26 8 22 41 29 8 23 38 31 5 23 40 32 20 25 20 35 12 27 26 35 7 23 34 36 11 26 22 41 10 23 25 42 3 12 42 43 8 25 23 44 8 24 22 46 11 17 25 47 13 20 18 49 7 19 24 50 5 19 22 54 8 19 16 57 9 18 15 58 3 12 25 60 4 11 22 63 7 15 13 65 2 10 16 72

0%

high level

20%

medium level

40%

low level

60%

80%

100%

without internet skills

Source: EUROSTAT data

Fig. 1. Individuals’ level of internet skills, % of the total number of individuals aged 16 to 74 Due to high share of individuals who have no internet skills, especially in post-soviet countries, topicality of users’ safety in cyber-space in the households is not so high. But due to rapid increase in both households’ access to the internet and individuals’ internet skills, this problem will be more and more topical in close future for these countries as well – that is why research efforts of scientists from Central and Eastern Europe are very important.

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Bibliography 1. Hinduja S., Patchin J. (2006) Bullies move beyond the schoolyard: A preliminary look at cyberbullying. In: Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 4(2), 148-169. 2. Hinduja S., Patchin J. (2007) Offline Consequences of Online Victimization: School Violence and Delinquency. In: Journal of School Violence, 6(3), 89-112 3. Hinduja S., Patchin J. (2008) Cyberbullying: An Exploratory Analysis of Factors Related to Offending and Victimization. In: Deviant Behavior, 29(2), 129-156. 4. Smith P., Cowie H., Olafsson R., Liefooghe A. (2002) Definitions of bullying: A comparison

of terms used, and age and gender differences, in a fourteen-country international comparison. In: Child Development, 73, 1119-1133. 5. Ybarra M., Mitchell K., Wolak J., Finkelhor D. (2006) Examining characteristics and associated distress related to Internet harassment: findings from the Second Youth Internet Safety Survey. In: Pediatrics, 118(4), 69-77 6. Ybarra M., Mitchell K. (2007) Prevalence and frequency of Internet harassment instigation: implications for adolescent health. In: Adolesc Health, 41(2), 89-95

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