Since the emergence of the Internet in the 1970s, criminology has been focusing on what this digital revolution means for crime and the fight against it. In this regard, much scholarly attention in recent years has focused on cybercrime. This editorial of the special issue on undesirable behavior online can be seen as an invitation for Dutch criminology to relate more broadly to the digitization of our society. As the contributed articles in this special issue make clear, online undesirable behavior has a wide variety of manifestations. What connects these articles are criminologically relevant questions concerning the punishability, but also the harmfulness of the behavior and, in particular, whether the harm relates to the online content or its offline consequences. This also raises the question of whether thinking in such a binary opposition does sufficient justice to the complex interaction and intense interconnectedness between the online and offline domains. Finally, the contributions in this issue also illustrate that digitization has resulted in a variety of digital artifacts that can be studied.

Since the onset of the nitrogen crisis in the Netherlands, outspoken critics of the proposed policies have emerged. Some of their criticism can be seen as a form of disinformation, for example, claims that the government wants to ‘steal’ land from farmers to build houses for immigrants. In this exploratory study, the authors compare online messages concerning the nitrogen crisis with the literature on climate change denial, both environmental phenomena where science denial plays a role and where established industries feel threatened. After reviewing the literature on climate change denial, the authors carry out empirical qualitative research to identify actors involved in questioning the nitrogen crisis. Using online posts from these actors, they examine the arguments used. They see both denial of the scientific basis of the nitrogen crisis, as well as arguments against the proposed policies, that intend to spread doubt as to the need for action. Similarities with climate change denial arguments are found, however, the ‘victims’ of the problems differ. In the nitrogen crisis, farmers fulfill the ‘ideal victim’ role; for climate change the general public are portrayed as victims rather than the fossil fuel industry. The authors discuss what their results mean for (critical green) criminology, focusing on the harmful consequences of a polarized social debate fueled by doubt, the link between online polarization and violent behavior offline, and the need for a critical approach to the broader problem of disinformation around the intensive livestock agriculture.

Threats to politicians have increased, both in the Netherlands and abroad. In some cases, (physical) threats were seemingly motivated by conspiracy theories. However, the majority of threats to politicians occur online via social media. The current study investigates the extent to which online hate and threats are motivated by conspiracy theories, through an analysis of nearly 2 million messages directed at Dutch party leaders on X (formerly Twitter). First, tweets referencing conspiracy theories are described both quantitatively and qualitatively. Second, the relationship between abusive language and the expression of conspiracy theories is examined. The results show that the conspiracy theories cited are often far-right in nature or emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prominent and male politicians appear to be more frequently targeted by such conspiracy-related messages. Finally, a relationship is found between mentions of conspiracy theories and different forms of abusive language. This research highlights the role of conspiracy theories as a driving force behind online hate and threats against politicians.

Since 2019, drill music has been linked to the rise of violent incidents among young people in the Netherlands. Drawing on studies in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague, we examine the communication of violence in the Dutch (online) drill rap culture. First, we show how Dutch drill rappers try to establish an authentic violent self. Second, we illustrate how Dutch rappers actively contest each other’s credibility as drillers. Finally, we shed light on how online consumers interpret the authenticity of these violent claims. Our research highlights a multi-layered performance of authenticity in Dutch drill. In this process, we see that musical output and social media content blend facts and fiction across different (social media) platforms and audiences, creating multimedial loops.

The anonymity and accessibility of the darknet have contributed to the growth of forums dedicated to the dissemination of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) into online communities with thousands of members. Though the anonymity of the darknet poses serious challenges for law enforcement, the digital traces left by the members of these forums also provide for a unique opportunity for the scientific study of their behavior. Darknet CSAM forums depend on the footage voluntarily contributed by their members. Using data from over a 1,000 members of a darknet CSAM forum that was taken offline by law enforcement in 2015, the present study tests hypotheses derived from social identity, social exchange, and differential association/social learning theory to explain why forum members continue to contribute. The authors find that communication on the forum is heavily skewed with a minority of members responsible for a disproportionate amount of forum activity. Further, they find that the length of the initial post and the time since the first registration are associated with an increased hazard of contributing another post. A larger number of reactions to the last contribution posted is associated with a decreased hazard of subsequent posting.

Qualitative research about global perspectives on online sexual exploitation of children is scarce, while literature suggests that many children are exposed to this form of crime. With qualitative data from 173 children from ten countries in Asia, Europe and Latin-America, this research highlights the perspectives of children on this phenomenon and confirms that children are exposed to many risks. Children shared concrete ideas to enhance their safety online. These are valuable insights for effective online safety measures that should encourage companies and policymakers to integrate child participation in their design processes structurally.

Female prisoners comprise a vulnerable population. Reliable data on their drug use patterns can contribute to the development of an evidence-based drug policy in prisons. In this study, 211 women (88 percent response rate) in Flemish prisons were surveyed about their drug use before and during imprisonment. Six in ten (58 percent) participants reported using drugs in the year prior to their incarceration, half of whom (52 percent) continued to do so while in prison. Initiation of drug use in prison was rare. Among those who continued using drugs during imprisonment, three-quarters (75 percent) indicated doing so less frequently. Overall, there was a shift from the use of stimulants before imprisonment to the use of sedatives during imprisonment. This corresponds with the main reasons participants cited for using drugs in prison, namely to relax, forget problems, and counter boredom. Based on these findings, we conclude that incarceration influences drug use patterns in women, but generally does not lead to an increase or the initiation of drug use.