How does heavy Internet usage affect cybercrime victimization : evidence from Europe.

This paper studies how faster Internet affects victimization of online identity theft, online consumer fraud, denial of service, and hate speech across Europe. I provide empirical evidence by exploiting the heavy Internet use, instrumented by the availability of wireless mobile communication technology (LTE). The development of wireless mobile Internet encourages people to use the Internet more. The results show that heavy Internet use makes people more likely to fall victim to cybercrimes and perceive themselves as well-informed about the risks of cybercrimes. My estimates suggest that cybercrime victimization deters heavy Internet use and well-informed risk perception about cybercrimes. While statistically significant, the estimates come with statistical uncertainty. The instrument is correlated to some personal characteristics though the magnitudes are small. I interpret my findings as evidence of an important concern about the investment in faster Internet: the high-speed Internet might threaten data privacy and the regulation of cybersecurity.