By Isabella Voce Anthony Morgan

The Australian Institute of Criminology has released the Cybercrime in Australia 2024 Statistical Report. This latest report outlines the results from the second annual Australian Cybercrime Survey, which is the largest regular survey of the Australian community about different forms of cybercrime and provides important data on cybercrime victimisation, help-seeking and harms among Australian computer users.Nearly half of all respondents to the survey were a victim of at least one type of cybercrime in the 12 months prior to the survey. Twenty-seven percent of respondents had been a victim of online abuse and harassment, 20.6 percent had been a victim of malware, 21.9 percent had been a victim of identity crime and misuse, and 9.5 percent had been a victim of fraud and scams.The prevalence of online abuse and harassment, malware and fraud and scams victimisation was lower among 2024 respondents than in the previous survey. There was also a significant decrease in data breaches. Respondents were less likely in 2024 than in 2023 to say they were using various online safety strategies, and there was little change in the prevalence of high-risk online behaviours. And more victims were negatively impacted by cybercrime, particularly for social and health related harms. The report provides important evidence of the scale and impact of cybercrime on Australian computer users and where to target efforts to help build community resilience to cybercrime. 

 Statistical Report no. 53. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. 2025. 118p

By Ellen Jacobs, Ella Meyer, Helena Schwertheim, Melanie Döring and Terra Rolfe

The global gaming industry is now worth more than both the film and music industries combined, with an estimated 3.2 billion gamers worldwide. As such, greater attention has paid in recent years to the online safety risks associated with gaming. This includes both gaming-specific companies and the wider ecosystem of gaming-adjacent social media platforms, particularly in the context of online hate and misogyny, extremism and radicalisation, and child safety issues (such as grooming and cyberbullying). Significant progress has been made in understanding how online harms are perpetrated in online gaming spaces. Recognising these risks, policymakers have crafted new digital and online safety regulations such as the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and the UK’s Online Safety Act (UK OSA) to increasingly apply to gaming or gaming-adjacent companies. However, such regulations are still in the early stages of implementation and enforcement, and the extent to which gaming companies or services are within scope can be unclear. This policy brief provides a summary of the current evidence on the nature and extent of these risks and highlights remaining gaps and challenges to building out this evidence base. It also provides an overview of existing government approaches to enhancing online safety in gaming, including both regulatory and non-regulatory efforts, as well as industry and civil society initiatives. Special attention is given to existing regulatory frameworks in the EU (DSA, Terrorist Content Online Regulation), the UK (UK OSA) and Australia (Online Safety Act), to understand how and how far they may provide higher standards of online safety to gamers. Finally, the brief explores both existing and proposed mitigation strategies to enhance online safety in gaming. Throughout, the brief provides recommendations for governments, regulators, researchers and industry. The DPL supports collaboration through a multi-stakeholder approach to develop a better understanding of the risks posed in online gaming spaces and how best to mitigate them

Amman Berlin London Paris Washington DC: Institute for Strategic Dialogue (2024) 47p