Netherlands - Finding information on the Internet about how to carry out a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack and other forms of cybercrime is child's play. A simple Google search can reveal ways to carry out a DDoS attack. The police are doing a lot to prevent young people from engaging in cybercrime. For example, the police are investing in Google Ads to warn about the dangers and consequences of cybercrime. 'But we can't do this alone,' says cybercrime program director Theo van der Plas. 'We need technology companies like Google to tackle cybercrime worldwide.'
The Dutch police have been structurally deploying Google Ads to prevent cybercrime since 2021. Young people searching Google for terms related to cybercrime were shown a prevention message in the form of a Google Ad by the police. The results are hefty: the ads targeting DDoS have been shown over 360,000 times since 2021 and over 27,000 clicks on the ad. The cost to the Dutch police is significant, the police spent over €60,000.
International cooperation
The Dutch police together with international police units initiated joint Google Ads campaigns. These campaigns aimed to prevent individuals searching for terms about cybercrime from engaging in, for example, DDoS attacks. These various campaigns also yielded significant results.
The campaigns resulted in over 200,000 impressions and 35,000 clicks. The cost of these campaigns was also substantial: over €35,000 was spent by international police units.
Results from the various Google Ads campaigns conclusively show that Google Search is being used to search for terms related to cybercrime. Worryingly, the search engine also shows results referring to various providers of software to carry out a DDoS attack. It is therefore a relevant platform to reach young people with a prevention message about the dangers and consequences of committing cybercrime.
Responsibility
Theo van der Plas, cybercrime program director, believes high-tech companies like Google also have a responsibility to protect young people from committing cybercrime. 'Last year, 15 percent of Dutch people became victims of online crime. The social and financial damage is enormous. The National Police does a lot to prevent both perpetrators and victims of cybercrime. But I think high-tech companies, which have a large social impact and facilitate this form of crime, must also take responsibility.'
Google earns a lot from its search engine, so it makes sense that the company additionally invests in prevention of criminal activities prepared through its search engine, Van der Plas said. 'By alerting visitors to illegal activities and by removing criminal sites. Now the police buy ads from Google to prevent cybercrime, while Google Search also provides information that leads to providers of cybercrime.
Prevention
Investing in perpetrator prevention related to cybercrime is critical to our society. Cybercrime has become a widespread threat that not only affects individuals and businesses, but can also undermine the stability of entire societies. Technology companies play a central role in our modern society, as their products and services are often the foundation of our digital lives. By investing in perpetrator prevention, they can prevent abuse of their platforms and assume their digital responsibilities.
