During the COVID-19 pandemic, the bidirectional relationship between policy and data reliability has been a challenge for researchers of the local municipal health services. Policy decisions on population specific test locations and selective registration of negative test results led to population differences in data quality. This hampered the calculation of reliable population specific infection rates needed to develop proper data driven public health policy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12508-023-00377-y
MULTIFILE
De complexe interactie tussen het beleid en de kwaliteit van registratiedata vormde tijdens de COVID-19-pandemie een uitdaging voor GGD-onderzoekers. Beleidskeuzen gericht op populatiespecifieke testlocaties en de selectieve registratieplicht van negatieve testresultaten leidden tot populatieverschillen in datakwaliteit. Populatieverschillen in de besmettingsgraad konden daardoor niet betrouwbaar worden vastgesteld. Dit belemmerde de ontwikkeling van relevante sturingsinformatie voor beleidsmakers in de publieke gezondheidssector. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12508-022-00358-7
The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in December 2019 and the restrictive measures that were implemented to slow down the spread of the virus have had a significant impact on our way of life. The sudden shift from offline to online activities and work may have resulted in new cybersecurity risks. The present study therefore examined changes in the prevalence, nature and impact of cybercrime among Dutch citizens and SME owners, during the pandemic. Qualitative interviews with ten experts working at various public and private organizations in the Netherlands that have insights into cybercrime victimization and data from victim surveys administrated in 2019 and 2021 were analyzed. The results show that there was only a small, non-statistically significant increase in the prevalence of cybercrime during the pandemic among citizens and SME owners. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic did have an impact on the modus operandi of cybercriminals: victims indicated that a considerable proportion of the offenses was related to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the case of online fraud. Moreover, the use of new applications and programs for work was associated with an increased risk of cybercrime victimization during the COVID-19 crisis. These results suggest that increases in rates of registered cybercrime that were found in previous studies might be the consequence of a reporting effect and that cybercriminals adapt their modus operandi to current societal developments.
